When Mice Ruled the Earth
by Mcbasilrocks
Summary: Every night Pinky and the Brain have tried, and failed, to take over the world. But it's been three years since the cancellation of Animaniacs, and the rest of the cast are struggling to cope with being out of a job. It seems like the perfect opportunity. What if once, just once, Brain finally achieved his goal...?
1. It's time for Animaniacs

**Well, it's my first ever Fanfiction on this site, based on one of my all-time favorite cartoon shows. Please read, review, and tell me what you think - all contributions, be they praise or constructive criticism, are thankfully received. Oh, and don't worry about our stars, Pinky and the Brain - they show up in Chapter 2. I just thought I'd introduce the secondary characters first and get them out of the way. I hope you enjoy.**

_**Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing, this is purely for my own enjoyment.**_

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**Chapter 1: It's time for Animaniacs**

The sun was rising over the Warner movie lot. As the sun streamed in through the water tower's windows, Yakko Warner's eyes blinked open. Giving his trademark grin, he leapt out of bed and skidded across the room, sending his pillow crashing to the floor, along with most of Dot's perfume bottles and Wakko's comic books. The noise woke the owners of these items. Up on the top bunk, Dot was the first to make a move. Yawning and too tired to yell at Yakko for spilling her cologne from Chanel across the floor, she began to climb down the ladder, passing Wakko on the way, who was in the process of consuming his duvet.

"Morning, sister sibling" Yakko said brightly as Dot reached the ground. She let out an indistinct mutter. "What was that, Dot? Couldn't hear you. Who are you, the Godpigeon?"

Dot shot him an icy look at that, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Yakko turned his attention to Wakko who, having eaten his bedcovers, was now starting to work on the bedpost, which was already starting to show signs of breaking. He grinned apologetically.

"Sorry." He chuckled. "It's just that I couldn't sleep in the night, I was so hungry!"

"When are you _not_ hungry?" said Yakko."Easy there, Wak" he added, as Wakko began to devour his pillow, "or you _really _won't be able to sleep!" Wakko sighed and returned his half-chewed pillow somewhat lopsidedly to its original spot. Instead of taking the ladder from his bunk, he just jumped down, landing next to Yakko. "Seriously, I don't know why we ever spent money on that thing" said Yakko, looking at the ladder. "The only person who ever uses it is Dot, and even then only when she's tired. Maybe we should scrap it..."

"I'll take care of that..." grinned Wakko, pulling out a salt-shaker.

"Ehhhhhhh..." began Yakko, "...you see, Wakko, people invented this wondrous thing called "breakfast" so they wouldn't have to go around eating ladders for food. Let's go."

Wakko nodded and tossed the salt-shaker onto the mushy pile of comic book and perfume as he and Yakko joined Dot in the kitchen.

It had been three years since Animaniacs had drawn to a close for the studio. The Warners were still their zany selves, though noticeably less so. Sure, Yakko and Wakko still catcalled "Hello, Nurse!" when they saw an attractive woman. Dot still went on about how cute she was. They were still on the run from Ralph the Guard, and they still went for daily sessions with Dr. Scratchansniff (under protest) but there was definitely something missing. Yakko just didn't seem to be as quick-witted as he once was. Wakko's appetite, while still the size of Greenland, wasn't quite as huge as it was during the show's run, and Dot seemed to prefer to spend her time out of the water tower, away from her brothers.

The cancellation of _Animaniacs_ had hit hard with all three of the Warner siblings, and this wasn't helped in any way by their movie, _Wakko's Wish_, going straight to video. The three just didn't seem to have the bounce that they had when performing on the show.

In the east side of Burbank, an acorn tree with a blue door sat in a green patch of grass. Slappy Squirrel's home was starting to show signs of decay. The branches no longer bore acorns, the wood was starting to rot in places, and the door was looking like it needed more than just a lick of paint. Slappy was already awake by the time her nephew Skippy joined her at the breakfast table.

"Morning, Aunt Slappy!" said Skippy cheerfully. He had somehow managed to retain his cheery nature, even after the show's cancellation.

"Mornin', kiddo" mumbled Slappy, taking another bite of her cereal.

"What are you eating?" Skippy wrinkled his nose when he caught a whiff of the contents of Slappy's bowl.

"Branimaniacs, what else?"

"Spew!"

"Hey, cheap-shot, I'm old, very old! What do you want from me?"

Skippy just shrugged and poured himself a bowl of Sugar Coated ACME Snax.

"Ehh, no wonder the younger generation's so cheerful all the time" grumbled Slappy. "They're perpetually hyped up on sugar."

"Look who's talking!" chuckled Skippy as he began to eat. "Branimaniacs, if I remember right, has actual sugar cubes in it. _Sugar cubes_! I mean, who eats that for breakfast?"

"I do." said Slappy simply. Nothing more was said between the two of them until breakfast was over.

Slappy was one of the few people who had been glad to hear of _Animaniacs_' cancellation. She had felt that she was getting too old to be throwing TNT around, and, since the show's ending, she'd gone into retirement in her acorn tree, where, as she put it: "people would leave her alone, and if they didn't, they'd get dynamite down their pants".

Skippy, on the other hand, had been heartbroken. He lived for the show, quite literally, as he now had no way of paying his tuition fees, now that he was old enough to start going to college. And, despite what Slappy said, a little something had been lost between the two of them when the news of the show's cancellation came about.

The rest of the _Animaniacs_ cast had barely managed to cope with being out of a job. Rita and Runt eventually found a home with Dr. Scratchansniff, who was still managing to make ends meet with his job as the studio psychiatrist. Mindy had now matured considerably and now had the sense to not go wandering into construction sites by herself, leaving her dog Buttons with little to do but sit in his kennel all day and listen to Mindy's mother go on about how disobedient he was.

The Goodfeathers, however, were undoubtedly hit the hardest by _Animaniacs _ending – being pigeons, it was practically impossible to find any work elsewhere, and they were stuck on the streets – for real, this time, not just as part of a script. Their personality, however, largely remained the same; Squit still had a grin locked into his face permanently, Pesto would still fly into an uncontrollable rage at the slightest provocation, and Bobby would still point and laugh when he did. They had lost the Girlfeathers a year ago in a migration accident which they refused to talk about, but this still left a sort of dark cloud hanging over them as they pilfered from trashcans.

Flavio and Marita, the Hip Hippos, in a fit of upset, had returned to the jungle. No-one had heard from them since, though the zoologist seemed pretty happy about it. Minerva Mink had all but given up her search for that "special someone", and Chicken Boo barely flew the coop anymore, and when he did, there was no false moustache to be seen. Overall, the cancellation of Animaniacs had a pretty big impact on all the members of the cast – except two. Just two.

And they were already preparing for tomorrow night.


	2. Gee Brain, what shall we do tonight?

**Well, here it is. Chapter 2, where we finally meet Pinky and the Brain and are told of their plan. Will it work...? If you've read the summary, you should have some sort of idea. Please do the usual stuff - read, review, enjoy. This one's considerably longer than Chapter 1, so good luck getting through it!**

**__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing, this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

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**Chapter 2: "Gee, Brain – what do you wanna do tonight?"**

The Warners had returned to their water tower, Slappy and Skippy to their tree, and the rest of the _Animaniacs _cast had gone back home – those that had one, that is. The sun had begun to set over Burbank, signalling the end of another day on the Warner movie lot. But, in the outskirts of the city, it might as well have been rising. The dark, somewhat sinister building of ACME Labs was coming to life once more. Through the hallway, in the main laboratory, the lab's head scientists were wrapping up for the night.

"Come on, make it quick" one said to the other, "I've got a date tonight with the wife, and if I'm not there on time I'm really in the doghouse"

"OK, OK. I just need to run one more experiment so I can get the results in the morning..." said the other, mixing together the contents of two strange looking bottles of fluid. The resulting concoction was green, and began to emit small puffs of mist until the scientist quickly bottled it in a steel container and put it, under lock and key, in a safe-like opening in the wall. "That'll do."

"Alright. Let's go. Oh, and make sure the mice are back in their cage before you leave, you know what they're like"

"Check" said the other man, as he picked up two mice from the workbench – one with a cranium the size of a large walnut, the other sporting a pair of buck teeth that rivalled Bugs Bunny's – and returned them to their cage, locking it and pocketing the key. After watching the rodents safely fall asleep, the two men headed out of the door, switching off the light as they went.

The large-headed mouse slowly opened one eye. Then the other. Once he was sure that the men had left, he made his way over to the other mouse.

"Pinky, it is safe. You may open your eyes now."

Pinky's eyes flew open and he practically jumped to his feet. "Egad, Brain! You astound me! The old "pretend-to-be-asleep-until-the-annoying-scientists-have-left" routine never fails! Narf!"

"Yes, Pinky. Sometimes I even astound myself" The Brain said, making his way to the lock of the cage. Pulling out a paperclip and reaching through the gap in the mesh, he picked at the keyhole and the door sprang open. "Now come. Tonight's plan to take over the world will undoubtedly be my best yet!"

"You know, Brain, I sometimes think you're obsessed with taking over the world. I mean, we've been doing it since 1993, and we never get any closer, and..."

The only response he got was a swift blow to the head with a pencil.

"Don't talk nonsense, Pinky" muttered Brain, "though, I suppose we lost any chance of that happening a long, long time ago. No, surely you can see that due to my superior intelligence, I am best suited to guide the destiny of this planet!" He hopped across the work surface, kicking over a syringe as he reached the edge, forming a bridge to the next table. He skilfully walked to the other side. Pinky, however, made a feeble attempt at tap-dancing across, causing him to lose his balance and tumble down to the floor, letting out a loud "zort!" as he landed.

Brain shook his head. "You amaze me, Pinky."

"I do my best, Brain."

Brain tossed down a nearby piece of string, which Pinky quickly shimmied up, grinning at Brain as he reached the top. "Troz, Brain. You're too kind. You're nicer to me than Elmyra ever was."

Brain cringed. "Don't ever mention that programme in my presence Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you."

"Gee, calm down Brain. After all: it's what the network wanted. Why bother to complain?" Brain said nothing, but bopped Pinky with the syringe.

"Now, come, Pinky. We're wasting time."

The two mice made their way over to the safe in the wall which the scientist had put the strange concoction into. Brain stopped in front of it. "Now, listen carefully, Pinky. I have been observing the humans at work today. The green fluid which you witnessed being created is none other than the yet-to-be-discovered-by-man element Transmorphinius. Do you know what that is?"

Pinky scratched his head. "Uhhh... oh! A robot in disguise?" He received another bash to the head.

"No, Pinky," sighed Brain. "It is a highly reactive chemical that, when mixed with common everyday water - or H2O, to use the proper term – produces a powerful toxic gas which has the ability to render any human being unconscious for hours, and once they awaken, they have no recollection of the events that occurred before being knocked out. Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"Uh, I think so, Brain, but – if an orange is an orange, then why isn't a lemon a yellow?"

Brain barely managed to stop himself from hitting Pinky again.

"_**No**_, Pinky! You remember what I said about it not being discovered yet? Well, here is the critical point – it has yet to be discovered by _humans_. I, being a highly intelligent mouse, discovered it long ago."

"Really, Brain? I thought Billie just told you about it not long ago, in the maze."

Brain's heart sank a little when he heard that. "Don't bring her up, Pinky. You know what happened to her."

"Oh, sorry, Brain..." Pinky muttered, letting out a little depressed "narf" as he sighed. The two remembered it well. One morning they had gone for their daily walk-and-talk in the maze and Billie hadn't been there, as she usually was. They hadn't spoken about her since.

"At any rate, Pinky, we're getting off topic" Brain said, a bit forcefully, shaking his head. "The plan is this: since the humans have yet to identify the element, we have a sizable advantage. We will take the Transmorphinius from the safe, and, as soon as possible, alert the press of its discovery. Within days, our faces will become known across the globe as the mice who added element 119 to the Periodic Table. Then, as is customary when a scientific discovery of this magnitude is made, all the world leaders will gather in one room to hear a speech from us, or rather, me, about the new chemical. We will feign an "experiment" in which we "accidentally" add water to the Transmorphinius, resulting in the gas knocking out all the world leaders, and, once they awaken, we will rush in and seize power, leaving them to believe that they are inferior to us, thanks in no small part to the memory erasing side effect of the element. Now, Pinky, do you know what you have to do?"

"Yes, Brain" said Pinky, looking at his wrist where a watch would have been on a human, "I need to feed Pharfignewton, it's an hour past her breakfast time." Brain whacked him again.

"Have you really not been listening, Pinky? Listen carefully. I will go through this once more only..."

And he did.

"Egad, Brain, brilliant!" shrieked Pinky when Brain had finished. "Oh, no, wait, no. The world leaders aren't just going to let you into power, it takes people years to become popular with the public."

"Yes, Pinky. But I'm different. I'm actually likable."

"Oh. But, hang on – didn't we try something like this before in the episode "Where Rodents Dare"? That didn't go too well! Narf!" chuckled Pinky as he remembered their disastrous attempt to freeze the world leaders at a banquet in the Himalayas.

"What have I told you about breaking the fourth wall, Pinky?" growled Brain, grabbing Pinky by the fur on his chest.

"To not to."

"Precisely. Now wait here while I get the Transmorphinius."

Brain returned to the cage and retrieved a small wooden mousetrap. He carefully took it back over the syringe-bridge and positioned it so that it was facing the safe in the wall. He sat squarely on the tab.

"I'm ready, Pinky. Throw the switch!"

"Are you sure, Brain?"

"Yes! Have I ever not been sure?"

"I guess not. Narf! 'K, here we go!"

Pinky proceeded to rip the pressure-sensitive spring off the mousetrap and lob it across the room.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Brain.

"You said to throw the switch, you really did Brain, you said to throw the switch!"

"Ignore what I say! In fact, no, forget I said that. I remember what happened the last time I said that to you. I'm getting a rather bad case of "déjà vu", Pinky."

"Zort, Brain. And you tell me to not break the fourth wall."

"If I could reach you, I would hurt you. Now pick up the switch and thr- I mean, press it."

Pinky gave a small salute and did as Brain asked. When he put pressure on the little tab Brain sailed through the air, propelled by the mousetrap, and somehow managed to grab onto the handle of the safe, dangling four metres above the ground. Clambering up onto it, he casually made his way to the keyhole, which was large enough for him to stick most of his head inside. Feeling around, he located the weak spot in the mechanism ("all locks have a weak spot, Pinky") and with a click the door sprang open, sending Brain sailing across the room, landing hard in a sink, which was unluckily devoid of any water.

"It's times like this that make me wish _Animaniacs_ wasn't cancelled," he muttered to himself, "it was much less painful, both mentally and physically."

After pulling his tail out of the plughole with considerable difficulty, Brain made his way back to the open safe, climbing up the shelves this time – he didn't want to have to brave the mousetrap (or Pinky) again. He seized what he could of the canister containing the Transmorphinius, and managed to heave it over to the edge. "Pinky, catch this," he called, pushing it over the side. He heard a crunching sound which made him cringe. Cautiously, he peered over the edge to see the canister rolling off a now pancake-flat Pinky.

"And that was no stunt mouse. Narf..." Pinky said weakly.

Brain hopped down carefully and managed to reinflate Pinky by cranking his tail in a circle.

"Egad, Brain! Thanks! You're the best!"

"I try," murmured Brain, "unlike some".

Both mice combined their efforts and managed to roll the canister over to the lab door. Brain told Pinky firmly to stay put while he fetched their transport. He disappeared out of the door and came back dragging something under a large tarpaulin.

"Troz, Brain..." said Pinky in awe. "Is that...?"

"Yes, Pinky!" grinned Brain, tugging the tarpaulin off, revealing a very familiar contraption. "Our Da Vinci Air Screw!"

"Egad, Brain! They let us keep it?"

"Warner Bros. seemed to consider it a make-up gift for cancelling our spin-off series", Brain said, "but mostly I just rewrote the script of _Wakko's Wish_ so that it doesn't get sucked into that avalanche. You'd be surprised what a bit of rewriting can do."

"We can do that?"

"_You_ can't. Now help me load this onto the Air Screw" grunted Brain, pulling at the canister.

With a considerable amount of effort (and duct tape, which took a little longer than Brain had anticipated; Pinky seemed to have an insatiable desire to constantly tangle himself up in it) the two mice managed to stick the Transmorphinius canister to the bottom of the Air Screw. Pinky took his seat in the pedaller's chair, and Brain took the steering wheel. Within minutes, they had flown away, leaving ACME Labs behind, zooming through the night air.

"Time to conquer a planet, Pinky!" Brain yelled at the sky.

"To the ACME Broadcasting HQ!"


	3. Brain for President

**OK, here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Brain carries out his plan. Gee, Pinky and the Brain sure are fun to write with, as are the rest of the Animaniacs cast! Please read and review. Enjoy!**

**__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

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**Chapter 3: Brain for President**

Roughly 20 miles from the ACME Labs in Burbank, stood yet another ACME building – the Broadcasting HQ. The receptionist sat at her desk, tapping her pencil on the desk impatiently, waiting desperately for her shift to end.

"Remind me" she muttered to herself, "why did I agree to the night shift again?"

Meanwhile, about 10 minutes from the HQ, Pinky and the Brain were continuing their long journey in their Da Vinci Air Screw. The trip had not been an easy one – they had barely managed to avoid a crash-landing in Mindy's backyard after Pinky's faulty sense of direction had thrown them off course. There had also been a slight mishap at around the halfway mark when they were buzzed by the Goodfeathers ("Hey, watch it!" "I'm flyin' over here!" "THAT'S IT!"). Once Brain had taken the map, however, they had been flying, quite literally.

"Pinky, do you realise what it will mean if our plan succeeds?"

"Yes, Brain – we can finally stop trying to take over the world, since we'd have taken over the world, and the world wouldn't need taking over anymore, since we'd have already taken it over! Narf!"

Brain made to hit Pinky over the head, but thought better of it when he saw the steering wheel without a driver. Quickly he rushed back to it, and just managed to get the Air Screw back on course. He mulled Pinky's words over in his head.

He sighed. "Actually, Pinky, you're right. The world will be a better place for all. We'll have achieved our goal – or, rather, my goal", and then, a little more quietly, "and we can finally go our separate ways."

Pinky thought about this for a second. He didn't like the inclusion of the word 'separate'. "Brain, surely you can't mean...?"

"...I...I'm sorry, Pinky. I shouldn't have said that. We'll always stick together. I promise."

"Oh, well. That's different then, isn't it? Zort!" Pinky chuckled.

Brain sighed and said nothing, turning back to the wheel. It had always been his intention to ditch Pinky once he'd achieved his goal. He never thought much of it, but now that there was a very real chance that their plan may succeed, he was starting to question his intellect. He gave himself a mental slap: 'how could you question your intellect? You're the most intelligent mouse on the planet. Surely you don't need that bumbling cretin with you?'

And yet, even though he'd put up with Pinky since the introduction of _Animaniacs_ in 1993, and almost used him as a pawn in his schemes, he just couldn't seem to bring himself to concoct a way to get away from him. He'd always been a true friend. Realising what he was saying in his head, he shook it vigorously: 'priorities, Brain. Pinky can wait. World domination first'.

But it was with a slightly saddened demeanour that he finally steered the Air Screw into the ACME Broadcasting HQ parking lot. Pinky remained silent as Brain lowered a small rope ladder to the ground and clambered down it, tugging at the duct tape holding the Transmorphinius canister and allowing it to fall softly onto the grass below. He followed it, and motioned for Pinky to follow him. Slowly they began to roll the canister towards the glass double doors of the building.

"Come, Pinky", said Brain, "Planet Earth awaits!"

After rather unceremoniously pushing open the door and rolling the canister (and Pinky, who had somehow become stuck to it with a piece of leftover duct tape) inside, they made their way to the front desk, just as the receptionist was wrapping up her 20th yawn of the hour.

"Excuse me."

The receptionist leaned over the desk. No-one there.

"Narf! Down here!"

She lowered her eyes to the floor, and saw two white mice holding a metal container. Blinking, she took off her glasses and wiped them on her shirt, before putting them back on and looking once more, just to make sure she hadn't been seeing things.

"Greetings, human" said Brain. "We would like to give to your studio the news report of the century."

The woman leaned back, still recovering from the shock of having a conversation with a pair of mice. "I'm listening."

"Me and my – ahem", he cleared his throat, "-colleague have made a highly significant scientific discovery that we feel is "newsworthy"".

She peered at them more closely. "You guys are _scientists_?"

"Actually, we are two lab mice who have stolen this compound from a closely guarded safe in a laboratory and flown here in a Da Vinci inspired aircraft as part of an elaborate plot to take over the world."

"Oh. Well, at least you're honest..." she rubbed her nose a bit. This was the last thing she needed at this time of night. "So, what's this, this... 'scientific discovery' of yours?"

"We have managed to discover a new element yet to be added to the Periodic Table" Brain deadpanned. "If we could speak to your higher authority...?"

The woman's eyes widened. This just got a lot more interesting. "Element? No kidding. Sure, sure. Wait here. I'll call the boss..." she pressed hard on a button to her left and began to speak into a microphone. "Boss? Yes, yes, it's me. No, it's not about a raise again..." she blushed slightly, "...no. Yes. I know. Well, I've got two..." she coughed a little, wondering how best to word it, "...two mice down here who claim to have discovered a new element."

The mice heard an unintelligible, excited yelling coming from the other end of the line. It seemed strangely familiar to them, somehow.

"Yes, boss. No, boss. I think so, boss. OK, I'll tell them."

She released the switch and turned to Pinky and the Brain. "The boss wants to see you. Take the elevator, third floor." She motioned toward a small opening behind her.

"Thank you. Come, Pinky."

After somehow managing to prise Pinky away from the desk (he was far more interested in waving vigorously at the receptionist, who was waving nervously back) the two mice entered the elevator, and through extensive use of cartoon physics, managed to hit the 'third floor' button. When the door opened , they made their way to a large door marked "BOSS" and knocked twice.

The door flew open. It missed Pinky, but smacked Brain squarely in the face and flattened him against the wall. He slid to the floor. "That was unpleasant."

Pinky picked him up and shook him out. "Troz, Brain! You should be more careful! One of these days, you're really going to hurt yourself!"

Brain sighed. A sudden yell made them both jump.

"**So, you're the two little guys who discovered the new scientific thing? Hoyl!"**

Brain didn't dare look up. He knew who the voice belonged to now. There was only person he knew of who spoke like that.

"Zort, Brain! Look! It's Mr. Director!" Pinky clapped his hands excitedly. "Ah, we were good friends on the show!"

"I know, Pinky." Brain cringed. "You two certainly have a lot in common..."

Mr. Director scooped them up. And carried them into his office, and, much to Brain's annoyance, began to talk. It seemed that when _Animaniacs _was cancelled, he had decided to pursue his fictional career in the media, eventually working his way up to the top, as manager of ACME Broadcasting.

"**Hoyl! It's nice to meet you guys again, with the pinkish tails and big ears! Froinlaven! Make with the element describing!"**

Brain quickly obliged with more or less the same speech that he had given the receptionist.

"**Froinlaven! This is hot-off-the-press-style news! Hoyl! We gotta get your little white faces on the air! Wait here! In fact, no, don't make with the waiting. Come with me!"**

He scooped them up again, and ran out of the room, through the corridor, practically kicked down the door to the stairwell and descended three flights within 5 seconds. They passed through some more corridors and eventually they arrived in what appeared to be a waiting room of sorts.

"**Now, you guys make with the waiting, and I'll go tell Dan Anchorman to make with the scrapping and you can do your scientific thing! Hoyl!"**

He charged out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Pinky, I foresee no roadblocks in our plan this time. Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" said Brain.

"Uh, I think so, Brain, but – surely if the parsley farmer _was_ sued, they wouldn't garnish his wages?"

Brain slapped him. "No, Pinky. We are mere moments away from the most critical point in our plan. Be quiet and allow me to do the talking."

Mr. Director returned to the room, and picked them up, ushering them into a huge room, all artificially lit with stage lights. A large desk stood in the middle. Dan Anchorman, having been booted out from News Time Live, had taken up the position of newsreader. He sat at the desk, and was talking into one of the numerous cameras surrounding the stage.

"And now, some exciting news" he said as Mr. Director rushed into shot, dumped Pinky and the Brain onto the table, and quickly zoomed out of shot. He looked down at his cue card and began to read. "Two..." he peered at the card, then leaned out of shot. "Am I reading that right?" he whispered to a cameraman. He got a silent nod. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the camera.

"Two... mice... have apparently discovered a new element that is currently missing from the Periodic Table. Here to talk to us about this hypothesis tonight are Mr. Pinky and Mr. The Brain." He forced a smile. The camera panned down to the mice. Pinky waved and began to pull faces into the camera, only to have Brain bop him and push him out of shot.

"Greetings, humans and toons everywhere," he began, "your ears do not deceive you. Me and my – ahem", he cleared his throat, "-colleague have made a highly significant scientific discovery that we wish to tell you of."

Pinky attempted to make his way back into view, but Brain pushed him back, and off the table, sending him crashing to the floor and bending his buck teeth sideways. Brain slapped his face and continued.

"We have managed, through extensive research and investigation, to discover a new element, which we have dubbed Transmorphinius." He dragged the canister into view.

"Therefore, I wish to make a public announcement: we would like to invite all of the world leaders to a celebratory speech and banquet at the following address: ACME Labs, Burbank, to take place this time next week. Please be assured that this is in no way related to an attempt to take over the world. I hope to see you there." Brain managed to crank out a grin.

Before Brain could stop him, Pinky had leaped back into shot, clapping his hands excitedly. "I'll be there, too. Narf!"

Thousands of miles away, the Prime Minister of Britain, who was watching the news report, said: "I'm sold!"

**ONE WEEK LATER**

It was the big day. News of the 'discovery' had spread all through the world, right down to the Warner movie lot. Yakko and Wakko's mouths had fallen open when Hello Nurse had told them of the report; not _because_ of the report, though.

Skippy had come home and told Slappy about it.

"It's true, Aunt Slappy," he insisted to his sceptical aunt, "it's really Pinky and the Brain who did it."

"Ehhh, just because the show's ended, that doesn't mean I trust 'em," grumbled Slappy, "if they try anything funny, I've got a bomb in the back with their name on it."

Indeed, the discovery of the new element had been the talk of the town. Pesto had beaten up Squit when he tried to tell him about it ("element? What do you mean by that? You're saying I'm an element? That I'm a fire? That I'm a huge, burning inferno, here for your awe, warmth and perusal? Is that what you're sayin'?") and Buttons had cowered when Mindy's mother started telling Mindy about it – it could only mean more trouble.

However, the night of the banquet eventually came. The world leaders from every corner of the globe, not wanting to miss another chance to show off, had flocked to Burbank, almost trampling the scientists as they barged into the ACME Labs. Brain, during the week since their airtime, had converted the main laboratory into a banquet hall of sorts, though this meant he had to constantly blast the scientists with his memory eraser whenever they saw it, which proved to be a pain. He eventually handed the duty over to Pinky, but quickly took it back when he started firing it off willy-nilly.

The world leaders had flooded into the main hall and taken their seats when Brain clambered to the top of a podium and, with Pinky's help, lifted the Transmorphinius canister up, along with a cup of water, not before "accidentally" dumping half the contents on Pinky's head. Brain called for silence.

"I would like to thank you for coming tonight," he began. "Now comes the highlight of the evening – a demonstration of what the Transmorphinius can really do." He grinned slyly, flinging the canister open. A green mist began to rise from it. "Quickly, Pinky... **add the water**!"

"Yessir!"

Pinky quickly tipped the water into the newly opened canister. The effect was immediate. Pinky and the Brain dived for cover as a thick green gas flooded the room. The world leader's eyes rolled backwards into their heads as they inhaled the mist. Some slumped forward in their chairs, and others crashed to the ground completely. Brain let out a loud cackle. Pinky was shocked and a bit hurt – that wasn't like Brain.

"We've done it, Pinky!" he said, practically drooling. "The world is almost ours! Cut the flow!"

"Y-yes, Brain..." Pinky blinked back tears as he reluctantly threw the switch, stopping the flow of Transmorphinius gas. Within minutes, the world leaders began to stir. They sat up, some rubbing their heads, others blinking. They all looked dazed and confused.

"Listen carefully, humans," Brain said unusually loudly, "do you know who you are?"

The world leaders shook their heads in unison.

"Ha!" Brain said in triumph, "Then listen to me once more. I am the great Brain, ruler of this planet. By right of my superior intelligence, I am best suited to lead this nation on its way to greater power! All the other beings on the planet respect you humans. You will do as I say."

"We'll do whatever he says." They all said in unison.

Pinky began to silently cry.

"You will obey me."

"We will obey him."

"_**Yes**_!" Brain punched the air. "At last! At last, my planet has realised its place. Now, you will do this: you will make a speech on national television to each of your respective countries. You will tell your people that their new ruler, the Brain, wishes to communicate with them and make some... changes. You will arrange for an introductory speech from me to be broadcast by me worldwide in precisely two weeks. With any luck, I should be able to pull this planet out of the rut it's currently in. Is that clear?"

A synchronized nod from the audience.

Sobbing, Pinky left the room.


	4. Newsflash

**Here's Chapter 4 for all you Fanfictioners out there. I hope you're enjoying reading the story as much as I am writing it. If you like the Goodfeathers, you're in for a treat in this chapter. As always, I'd appreciate any feedback. Enjoy!**

******__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 : Newsflash**

It had been two days since Brain's official conquest of the world had begun, though the public had yet to be informed.

Another dreary, _Animaniacs_-free day on the Warner movie lot was beginning. The Warner's daily wake-up routine began as usual – Yakko would wreck the other's personal belongings, Dot would remain silent and leave, and Yakko would barely be able to stop Wakko from eating most of the room. The two Warner brothers joined Dot in the lounge, as she was beginning to eat her bowl of cereal. Yakko and Wakko, as opposed to simply sitting down, felt the need to throw themselves some distance into the air, then come crashing down onto the sofa, sending Dot rocketing into the ceiling and leaving her lower half dangling as her head became stuck fast. Pressing hard against the ceiling, she managed to free herself, tumbling back down to the sofa. She made to let out a frustrated yell at her brothers, but they cut her off.

"Quiet, sis! She's coming on!"

Yakko and Wakko's faces were glued to the screen. Dot rolled her eyes; she knew why.

Since the cancellation of _Animaniacs,_ Hello Nurse, the attractive studio medic and the target of the Warner Brother's affection, had moved on from nursing and onto presenting – she now co-starred alongside Dan Anchorman as a reader on ACME Broadcasting News. Though she still lived on the Warner movie lot, the Warners didn't see much of her, so it was a rare treat for Yakko and Wakko when she was scheduled to appear on TV.

"And now, today's news!" announced the television. Yakko and Wakko let out a small whoop.

Hello Nurse strode into shot, sat down, and began to talk – she might as well have been silent though, for all Yakko and Wakko took in.

"Hellooooo, newsreader Nurse!" they yelled, morphing into small rockets and blasting through the roof. Dot slapped her face.

"Boys."

Yakko and Wakko were instantly dragged back down to earth (both mentally and physically) when they finally caught on to what Hello Nurse was saying. Dot took this opportunity to whack them with her mallet, bringing them back to their senses.

"... asked to report that all of the current world leaders have officially filed their resignation," Hello Nurse continued, shuffling her cue card.

"What?" said all three Warners in unison.

Hello Nurse didn't quite seem to understand, either, as she blinked twice, before leaning out of shot and murmuring indistinctly. Leaning back in, she continued. Yakko and Wakko were rooted to the spot, all thought for her looks gone out the window.

"... and handed over their respective countries, one at a time, to their new ruler..."

"What?!" all three Warners repeated, a bit more frantically. They hoped that they weren't right in what they were (or weren't) expecting to hear.

"... The Brain. We have also been asked to say that the people will have no say in this. As I speak, the Brain is preparing to make changes to the worldwide community. All citizens are warned to prepare for a severe difference in the way their country will be run, and the way their finances are handled. All major countries - the USA, Britain, most of Europe, China and Australia – are expected to be impacted the most heavily. The Brain is scheduled to make an introductory speech on worldwide television next week. All of the world's population will be obliged to watch. Stay tuned to ACME Broadcasting News for the latest update on the current global situation. And now, in other news: famous actor Anton DeBoo revealed to be a giant chicken in shocking poultry scandal..."

They didn't hear the rest of it, as Wakko had rigidly stabbed the 'off' button on the remote.

The Warner siblings just stood there, mouthing wordlessly. There was nothing to say. They could hardly believe their ears, but they had heard it quite clearly: Brain had taken over the world. At last. And there was nothing they could do about it. They'd always thought it was a joke, a fictitious plot made up for the show. But it was real... all too real...

Dot was the first to make a sound. "I... can't believe it..."

"...I've been betrayed..." added Wakko, "our friends..."

Yakko gulped and tried to grin, but it fell flat. Instead, he just said: "well, sibs... I guess for once, we're taking orders...from a mouse... two mice, in fact..."

On the other side of Burbank, in their acorn tree home, Skippy and Slappy were staring at the TV set, dumbfounded.

"You... were right, Aunt Slappy..."

"Ha! I knew it! I **knew** it!" Slappy was out of her seat at once, twirling her umbrella around in the air. "I knew those no-good cheese-eaters were up to something!" She flopped down in her chair.

"Well, now what?"

"What do you mean, 'now what'? There is no 'now what'! Lay some mousetraps for 'em, I say! I'm not takin' orders from a couple o' mice! Who do they think I am, Gerald Ford?"

Despite himself, Skippy blinked, forcing back a grin.

"Hey, what do you want from me, a modern reference? I'm old!" Slappy began to rifle through her purse.

"But, Aunt Slappy, you heard what the newsreader said!" he put on his best impression of Hello Nurse, "'the people will have no say in this!'"

"Yeah, well..." Slappy rubbed her chin, "I'm different. We're different. We're Toons, Skippy. And if any of those 'government officials' there try to boss me around, I've got two little friends I'd like 'em to meet..." she pulled a bomb out of her purse and set it beside her, "Mr. Kaboom..." she pulled out a mallet, "and Mr. Whack!" Both squirrels allowed themselves a small chuckle.

"Either way, Skippy, I'm not expecting they'll be in charge for too long. I mean, they're _mice_, for cryin' out loud! They'll be out within a year, I'd bet my life on it."

Skippy smirked and folded his arms. "At your age, is that such a good idea?"

Slappy responded with a scowl. "Hey, watch yourself, Mr. Impudent, or you _will_ be takin' orders, and it won't be from a couple o' rodents, either!"

In the heart of the city, outside a TV shop window, Rita, Runt and the Goodfeathers had just watched the news report. None of them could tear their eyes away from the TV on display.

"Uhh, that's not good..." muttered Runt, "definitely, definitely, not good. Uh, it's not good, is it Rita?"

Under normal circumstances, Rita probably would have slapped him, but at this moment she was feeling forgiving.

"No, it's not, Runt," she said rather sedately, "not good at all..." she shook her head, and then turned her back on the window, flicking her paw in its direction. "Not that it really affects us, or anything, being homeless and all..." she hopped sadly onto Runt's back. "Let's go, big boy..."

Runt slowly began to head for a nearby alley. His tiny mind turned Rita's words over in his head: 'this is definitely bad. Rita usually sings, definitely sings. She's not singing, something's wrong, yup, definitely..." the pair trudged off into the distance.

Watching them were the Goodfeathers, who didn't quite know what to make of the announcement.

"Bada bing..." Bobby said softly, "I'm confused over here..."

"What are you sayin'?" began Pesto.

"Are you arguin' with me? Are you arguin' with me?" Bobby poked Pesto in the stomach.

"Why? Why? What did I do?" Pesto backed up in protest.

"Aw, come on guys," interjected Squit, "break it up..." his trademark grin was missing from his face, a rare sight.

Bobby and Pesto sighed in unison.

"So, I guess we got two mice givin' us the orders now, huh?" Pesto looked up at the TV.

"Hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa..." Bobby said, "we're Goodfeathers, you know what I'm sayin'? We don't take no orders from nobody, yeah?"

Pesto puffed up his chest proudly. "Yeah! Nobody! Ain't nobody who can tell _us_ what to do!"

"Except him!" Squit pointed frantically over Bobby's shoulder. The other two pigeons whirled around.

"Huh?"

A fat blue-and-grey pigeon was making his way up to the three birds.

"The Godpigeon..." Bobby said in awe.

The Godpigeon extended his left foot. Bobby and Pesto kissed it, and Squit his right, when the Godpigeon offered it to him.

The Godpigeon began to murmur indistinctly.

Bobby translated: "The Godpigeon says that he's not happy with the way us Goodfeathers have been conductin' ourselves lately. Says we've been slackin' off."

"What?!" Pesto yelled.

The Godpigeon may have grinned (it was hard to tell) and 'spoke' some more.

Bobby gulped and reluctantly translated again: The Godpigeon _also_ says that..." he wiped his brow, "...we're fired."

Squit and Pesto felt ready to faint. Pesto looked like he wanted to slap the Godpigeon, and Squit was hyperventilating to himself in the corner.

The Godpigeon continued.

"He says that he's found someone that'll work for him for free, and who's better than us three Goodfeathers put together."

"Oh, yeah?" Pesto began to advance. "I'd like to meet him! I'll show him!" He quickly backed off, however, when the Godpigeon's new recruit rounded the corner, flexing his muscles.

"You rang?" It was Prettyboy Robin, Bobby's sparring partner and arch nemesis.

The feathers around Bobby's neck began to ruffle. Shoving Pesto out of the way, he walked over to Prettyboy. "Bada bing!" He tried to hit Prettyboy square in the jaw, but was intercepted by the Godpigeon, who, with his sizable feet, gave Bobby a hard kick, sending him flying into Pesto, and then into Squit. All three Goodfeathers crashed into an alleyway, watching the Godpigeon and Prettyboy head off as they lay in the dirt.

"Well, I guess that's it," Squit sighed, "no more Goodfeathers for us."

"This is the last thing we need right now!" Pesto raged. "The show that we were livin' off's been cancelled, our girlfriends have been missin' for a year", Bobby glared at him, "some nutjob of a mouse has taken over the world, and now we've been booted out of the Goodfeathers? Martin Scorsese, gimme a break!"

"I guess we're roughing it again, guys..." Squit sighed again.

"Rough? What do you mean by that?" Pesto began. Bobby slapped his face.

"Are you sayin' that I'm rough? That I'm a piece of sandpaper, is that what you're sayin'? A brown, erosive piece of wood pulp, here to wear things down for you? Is that it?"

"No, no! I meant roughing it, as in living off the street, you know?"

"You're saying that I am rough?"

"Yes! I mean, no, no, I..."

But the damage was done. "**That's it**!" Pesto leaped onto Squit and let loose. Bobby didn't even have the energy to laugh. The Goodfeathers had meant everything to him – and now they were no more.

The news of Brain's domination hadn't gone down well with the rest of the cast either. Buttons had practically fainted when he heard about it. Mindy's young mind was too immature to fully process the facts, but she got the impression that something was wrong when she heard her mother sobbing. Chicken Boo, having had his latest disguise unmasked, had sealed himself in his coop. The Hip Hippos, being back in the jungle, were blissfully unaware of the situation.

As for the Warners, they were still staring at the TV screen blankly, in a state of shock. They couldn't think. They only knew one thing:

Brain had taken over the world.


	5. Freedom of Speech

**Here's Chapter 5! Gosh, the story's getting pretty deep now. I've really tried to give as much attention as possible to each individual character, but with a cast the size of _Animaniacs, _it isn't exactly easy! As always, any feedback (especially in the form of a review) is gratefully received. Enjoy!**

**********__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 : Freedom of Speech**

The news of Brain's domination had spread across the globe. The mouse was slowly, continent by continent, bringing the world bending to its knees. The day of his welcoming speech had arrived. Every television on the planet was tuned to Brain's new station, B.R.A.I.N. (Broadcasted Right, Always In Light), whether they wanted to or not – Brain had passed a legal obligation for every citizen, one way or another, to watch him speak.

The residents of Burbank, California were no different. Inside the water tower on the Warner movie lot, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot had their TV reluctantly tuned to channel B.R.A.I.N, watching with a strangely mixed feeling of excitement and dread as they waited for Brain to appear. In their acorn tree across the city, Slappy and Skippy were doing likewise. Slappy had at first been resistant to see Brain's speech ("new rulers, my left bunion!") but after extensive persuasion from Skippy, had agreed to watch with him, if only to shut him up; even she wasn't so heartless that she'd resort to malleting her own nephew to keep him quiet.

Rita and Runt had tucked themselves into a small alleyway and given any official-looking people 'the big eyes', which more or less kept them off the hook for not watching. Bobby, Pesto, and Squit (they were Goodfeathers no more) had to resort to staring into other people's windows to watch, though this task proved daunting, and somewhat painful – they'd had their wings slammed in the panes at least twice – but they'd eventually, luckily, happened upon an empty house, the clueless owner of which had left the TV on when they'd left, so they were all set, even though it wasn't the best quality.

Ralph, Dr. Scratchansniff, CEO Thaddeus Plotz and Hello Nurse all sat in Plotz's office, staring at his unnecessarily large flatscreen, tuned, once again, to the B.R.A.I.N Channel. All four waited with bated breath.

"I can't believe I ever hired that guy! If I'd have known he was like this, I'd have cut his contract long before he got a spin-off series! _Pinky, Elmyra and The Brain_ was too good for him!" Plotz said angrily, pounding his fist into his palm.

"Duh, I never knew mouses could be clever enough to rule the world..." Ralph scratched his head.

"Normal mice couldn't have, Ralph..." Hello Nurse began.

"But ze Brain is far from normal..." Dr. Scratchansniff added, "... far from normal... und we all realised zat too late..."

As for Buttons, due to the scale of the situation, he'd been allowed into the house to watch Brain deliver his speech with the rest of Mindy's family. He sat on the rug, sighing to himself as Mindy began poking his nose – she may have been three years older, but she still treated Buttons like a toy. At least here, she couldn't get into any trouble...

All across Burbank, and indeed, the rest of the world, there was an eerie silence as everyone waited for Brain to begin. Presently, the TV screen showed an empty stage. After about two minutes, however, something happened: a voiceover announced:

"And now, citizens of the world, we present your new ruler... The Brain!"

Brain himself strode into shot. Any doubts of Brain's conquest in the minds of the _Animaniacs_ cast were vanquished instantly – some hadn't wanted to believe it, but now they had no choice.

Brain made his way to a podium, and climbed a small ladder he'd stuck to the side of it. Once he reached the top, he surveyed the camera, but remained silent. After a brief pause, he felt around under the podium and brought out a small card marked "APPLAUSE" and presented it to the camera. At once, every person on the planet clapped, including the people in the recording studio, who could clearly be heard applauding madly.

"That's better..." Brain finally spoke, discarding the sign. He turned back.

"Citizens of the world, your eyes do not deceive you," he began, "I am your new ruler, the Brain. You will do as I say. From this moment on, everything I say goes. No person will be allowed a say in the way their country is run. I shall be the sole dictator of the countries' laws, finances, and ethical and social approaches."

He cleared his throat before continuing.

"I do not seek, however, to make your lives a misery..."

In her acorn tree, Slappy couldn't help herself: "Yeah? Well, too bad, pal, 'cause mission accomplished!"

"Shush, Aunt Slappy!" Skippy turned angrily to her.

"Hey, whoa," she held up her hands in protest, "free country, ain't it?"

The Brain continued: "... while the USA will no longer be a free country in terms of freedom of speech..."

Slappy, appropriately, slapped her face. "I rest my case..."

Unfazed, Brain carried on. "... I will still seek to give it the best possible leadership my sizable intelligence can provide. All education for children will now come free, but there will still be a price: the only subject taught will be information about me, The Brain, and my conquest. A curfew will be enforced in all major countries; this is purely for each citizen's own safety. All import and export businesses must sign with me before carrying out any trade. Failure to comply with this may result in termination of your business..."

In the water tower, Yakko let out: "He sounds like that legal stuff at the end of commercials..."

Dot and Wakko silenced him with a glare. Yakko was shocked; already Brain was making his mark on his siblings. He put his face in his hands. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all...

Brain ploughed on: "... China, due to its current high ranking in financial terms, will now be obliged to divert 40% of its income to my personal account. All developing countries will, for the moment, remain unchanged, but, don't worry..." he grinned, "... I'll think of something..."

Enraged, Pesto began to yell through the window: "That low-down, sneaky crook! Developing? I'll show him developing!"

Bobby and Squit somehow managed to restrain Pesto as he tried to smash through the window and clobber the TV.

Brain continued his speech: "... all of the previously stated laws are not optional. Changes must be made. Since former leaders of certain countries have proven themselves to be astoundingly ineffective thus far, I seek to bring order, balance and harmony to the planet. I will warn you: though some of my future plans for Earth will initially seem harsh, they are all for the good of the planet, and I hope you will eventually join me in my quest to make a world that is a better place for all. This concludes my speech..." he again whipped out his "APPLAUSE" sign, and again, the world complied.

"Yes... you're learning already..." with one final grin, he tossed away the sign, hopped down, and strode out of shot. The tape on the cameras cut.

Across the planet, millions of television sets went blank.

Back in Burbank, the Animaniacs cast was taking its time to process what they'd just seen.

Of the Warners, Yakko was the first to speak.

"Ehhhh..." he rubbed his chin, "... I've always wanted to do a lot with my life, but having it dictated by a mouse wasn't exactly at the top of the list..."

Wakko nodded in agreement. He began to nervously chew on the arm of the couch, stopping only when Dot whipped his hat off his head – if there was one thing Wakko couldn't stand, it was having his hat stolen. Dot teased him for a bit, waving it just out of his reach, before "accidentally" swinging it down low enough for him to grab it. He jammed it back on his head.

"Ahhh, it's the fun things in life that help you get through situations like this," she giggled.

Giving her a hard glare, Wakko stormed off to his room.

"Nice goin', sis!" Yakko groaned. "Look what ya did. You know how much stress he's been under, what with all the "psychotic-mouse-taking-over-Earth" stuff. Geez..."

He made his way out of the room and headed off to comfort his brother. This was the last thing he needed right now...

On the other side of the city, Bobby, Pesto and Squit had just flapped off from the windowsill, and were now making their way to a highly-stocked garbage can they knew of.

"That guy really ruffles my feathers!" Pesto raged. "Are you ruffled, Bobby?"

"A little bit... maybe just a little bit..."

"Whichever lame-brain decided to put a mouse in charge of a planet needs therapy..." Squit sighed.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd misinterpret that, and hit you," Pesto eyed him. "But I can't be doin' with that right now..."

Squit let out a breath of relief. That was a small comfort...

Rita and Runt, having slept through the entire speech, were completely shocked to see an empty street upon awakening, unaware of the newly-enforced curfew.

"That can't be good. Definitely, definitely not good.." Runt gulped.

"Where _is _everybody?" Rita looked around, a bit frightened.

A yell in the distance made them both jump.

"Hey! It's past 8:00 PM! We got some rule-breakers over here!"

Rita blinked as a flashlight was shined into her eyes. An official-looking man was storming towards them. She didn't like the look on his face. In terror, she leaped onto Runt's back.

"_Run_, Runt, or we're dead meat!"

Runt didn't know what the fuss was about – he quite liked humans – but quickly did as she asked. They tore down several streets, turned a corner and threw themselves into a trashcan. When she was sure the man had passed, Rita poked her head out.

"I don't like this, Runt..." she was on the verge of tears.

Back in their treehouse, Skippy and Slappy had left the television set behind and gone to the table to eat dinner.

"So, Aunt Slappy..." Skippy began, "changed your mind about Brain?"

"Me? Nah!" Slappy put down her fork. "I keep with what I said before: unless that jerk wants to be sporting two sticks o' TNT out of his ears, he'll keep his big head outta my life!" She picked up her fork again, breathing heavily.

Skippy smiled. "That rant was just like in _Abraham Slappy_!"

"Actually, that was _Slappy for President_, 1938, directed by Piz Peeners, but we're gettin' off topic..."

Both squirrels said nothing more to each other, until after dinner, when something suddenly hit Slappy. How could she not have seen it before? She stormed upstairs to Skippy's room, who was reading the last issue of the _Animaniacs_ DC comic book. She picked him up and shook him by the shoulders.

"Skippy, you gotta tell me – I think I've got something. What was the first thing you said?"

"Well..." he poked his chin thoughtfully, "I don't exactly remember, but my mom told me it was 'dynamite'..."

She shook him harder. "_No, not your first word_! The first thing you said to me at the table!"

"Oh, that's easy," he cleared his throat, "it was: 'changed your mind about Brain?'"

Slappy put him down carefully.

"I knew it. I knew there'd be a catch. Skippy, do you notice anything odd about what you've just said to me? Do you notice anythin'... missing? Please tell me you do, or there's somethin' up with ya..."

Skippy thought for a moment. It hit him like a stone. It hit the Warners, the Goodfeathers, Buttons, Mindy's parents, Dr. Scratchansniff and Hello Nurse (Ralph wasn't even thinking) at the exact same moment.

Skippy turned slowly to his aunt.

"Where was Pinky?"


	6. Put a Brain in the White House

**Here's yet another chapter for you. This one's a bit slower-paced than the others, but I hope you still enjoy it! Reviews are appreciated! Happy reading!**

**********__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Put a Brain in the White House**

The world had largely come to terms with its new ruler.

Though there was a distinct air of dissatisfaction around Burbank, the residents knew that the repercussions were too large to bother doing anything about it. Brain had made it quite clear: if you rebelled, you wouldn't like what would happen to you.

Night had begun to fall. In the ACME Labs, Brain sat in the main laboratory, which still largely resembled its former self. There was one significant difference, however: where Pinky and the Brain's cage once sat, there was now an even larger cage, a grey one, with an equally big lock. And in the cage, humming to himself somewhat sadly, sat-

"Pinky, keep quiet. I'm trying to rule a planet!"

"Narf! Sorry, Brain..." Pinky sniffled.

Brain, since taking over the world and not wanting Pinky to mess up his plans for the _nth_ time, had locked him away in a secure cage and kept him hidden from the public – letting the people know of their connection could, according to him, prove dangerous.

Pinky had been in a severe state of depression ever since Brain seized power. There had been an alarmingly noticeable change in his personality which Pinky found more than slightly disturbing – he now acted crazed, superior and rarely spoke to Pinky the way he did when they were just simple lab mice.

Pinky let out a small sigh. He missed the Brain of the past – this new mouse claiming to be him just wasn't the friend he knew. Brain's voice brought him out of his grieving:

"Pinky, I believe I have managed to concoct the first major step towards further control of the planet!"

Pinky looked up to see Brain scribbling away on a blueprint. 'Oh, so he's talking to me now?' he said in his head. Then, out loud:

"Y-y-yes, Brain?"

"Stop that stuttering, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you. Hurt you badly. Remember your place."

Pinky felt part of his stomach drop like a rock. Brain never would have said that last part before all this. He put his head in his hands and reluctantly listened.

"I may have taken over the world, left my mark on its continents and its people, but there is still something missing. Something all world leaders must have. Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

Pinky couldn't help himself – it was almost controlled by instinct now: "Uh, I think so, Brain, but – if the leader of the synchronized swimming team _did_ drown, _surely_ all the others wouldn't drown with him?"

Pinky had gone too far. Brain made his way over to his cage and hit him.

"Don't forget who's in charge, Pinky. Now, as I was saying..."

It took all the strength Pinky could muster to not burst into tears there and then. Brain's personality switch had hit him hard. Literally.

"... all world leaders must have a base of operations. I shall be no different."

Pinky's watery eyes began to widen. Surely he couldn't mean...

"Yes, Pinky!" Brain grinned, seeing his expression. "My first step toward total control will be the conversion of ACME Labs... into my own personal headquarters!" He cackled, before coughing loudly. "Oof, I have to remember not to do that..."

"Brain, _no_!" Pinky had had enough. He began madly pounding away at the bars of the cage. ACME Labs had been his home all these years – he wasn't going to stand still and watch it become the lair of a power-crazed brainiac.

Brain said nothing, but simply snapped his fingers, which caused a sound-sensitive mechanical drape to fall over Pinky's cage, sedating him.

"You see, Pinky... _this_ is why it was always my intention to get rid of you when Earth finally fell into my hands..." Brain muttered, quietly enough so that the snoring Pinky would not be awoken.

Brain ran his fingers through his fur. Despite going half-insane with his newly-acquired fame, he still had half of him telling him to see Pinky off, and the other half telling him to hold onto his – and he used this term loosely - friend.

Brain shook his head violently to clear these thoughts from it for the second time of the month. What was wrong with him? He'd got all he ever wanted, surely he didn't need Pinky? And yet...

It was Brain's turn to sigh now. Deciding he'd better get on with the task in hand, he turned to a pint-sized intercom device he'd installed into one of the worksurfaces and spoke into it:

"Guard? Have you done as I asked?"

"Yes, boss," came the reply. Brain had managed to acquire several 'loyal' followers that had 'agreed' to do his bidding – in truth, he'd created yet another law that dictated that any person requested by Brain personally had to comply.

"We've taken and gagged the head scientists. They're sleeping off a nasty bump in the lab cellar right now." A dim chuckle could be heard from one of his cohorts.

"Good, good..." Brain stroked his chin. His mind still lingered inexplicably on Pinky. He gave himself a slap.

"Uh, boss, you okay?" came the guard's voice, hearing the slap.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine..." Brain muttered. "You may begin Phase One..."

"Very good, sir!" The guard left the line.

Brain returned to his chair and waited.

Outside, his minions were beginning the first stage of the overhaul. They stripped down the glowing neon sign reading 'ACME LABS' and began painting the exterior white. The windows came down, and were filled in with blue-dyed cement. The men painted several strokes of black across the left and right of the front, and, as a finishing touch, hung a large pink metal disk in the centre. The whole process took about three hours, by which time most of the residents of Burbank were asleep.

One of the guards got onto his radio: "Alright, boss. It's done. You can come out and see it, but make it quick, I give them scientists about a half hour more before they start movin'."

Brain's voice came from the other end: "Who makes the orders around here? Alright, seal off the area. I'm coming out."

The guard gave a pointless salute – Brain couldn't see him anyway – and headed, with three others, to a large metal gate which had been built in front of what was formerly ACME Labs and, with some effort, pulled it shut – the public couldn't see Brain's new headquarters until tomorrow.

Brain himself came out of the front door, dragging a sleeping Pinky with him.

"I thought he'd like to see this," he said, dumping Pinky at one of the guard's feet. "Revive him."

Reacting immediately to Brain's request, a guard filled a nearby bucket with water and tipped the contents onto Pinky, who awoke instantly, coughing and spluttering, his back to the building.

"Wha-what's going on?" He looked around nervously. "Why do I feel sleepy? Why am I wet?"

Out of nowhere, Yakko leaned in, and blew a kiss to an invisible audience. "G'night everybody!" He disappeared instantly.

"Zort, Brain!" Pinky clapped his hands excitedly, falling out of character for a moment. "I didn't know you were one for cameos!"

"I'm not." Brain forcefully grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and turned him around. "Look there, Pinky. That'll take your mind off the fourth wall..."

Indeed, it took his mind off everything. Looking up in horror, he saw what used to be his home. He recognized it instantly - the pink, the white, the black – it was perfect. Or maybe perfect wasn't quite the right word for it...

"Brain, you've, you've... is that...?"

"Behold, Pinky! The Brain House!"

_That _was the right word for it. Brain had converted ACME Labs into an accurate, if wonky, replica of his face and head.

Pinky's stomach heaved. His home, gone...

"You've ruined it, Brain!" He pounded his fists on the tarmac.

'Ha, pathetic...' Brain said in his head. Yet still, part of him felt sorry for Pinky – he quickly crushed these emotions with a grin. "It is rather nice, isn't it? Now that that's over..." He turned to an eager-faced guard. "Lock him up again. Sedate him if he won't shut up; just... get him out of my sight!"

"Sure, boss, but, uh..." the guard leaned closer... "about my salary..."

Brain slapped his face. "You'll get your money once Phase Two is complete. Now do as I have asked."

The guard gave a meaningful salute and scooped up Pinky, who began to holler tearfully at Brain:

"You're making a big mistake, Brain! Your ego's getting too big! The people won't stand for thi – POIT! Ouch, that hurt!" The guard squeezed him, silencing his complaints.

As he watched Pinky being carried off, Brain turned his words over in his head, then stopped himself when he realised what he was thinking. Sighing, he walked into the building, and began to prepare for Phase Two - his speech - the following morning.

Most of Burbank was silent, but two people were still up and about. Rita and Runt were walking down the street where ACME Labs once stood, only to come face to face with the huge metal gate. They stared up at it in awe.

"What's that jerk-of-a-genius _doing_, splendid isolation?" Rita muttered to herself. "He's gone mad..."

"Yup, mad. Definitely, definitely mad..." Runt agreed. "Gee, Rita – you're not gonna go mad, are ya?"

"Of course not, ya big galoot! Now let's go, we'll have to look someplace else..." she felt like singing, but couldn't quite find the words. And, despite what she'd told Runt, who was now searching happily for a "cheese-tree" that he'd heard of, she wasn't so sure herself quite what she was feeling...

The next morning, Brain opened the not-so-joyful citizen's morning with Phase Two, a speech on the B.R.A.I.N. Channel regarding the new Brain House, how no-one was to go near it, and the due respect it symbolised. At least, that was what it sounded like – most of his words were too complicated for most people to comprehend.

In their acorn tree, Skippy and Slappy weren't bothered about what he was saying, though – they were too busy pursuing Slappy's theory. They were carefully rewinding and freeze-framing Brain's speech using their new digital box:

"Gee, this new Sky Plus box sure is the best!" Slappy said unrealistically, forcing a grin. Out of nowhere, an arm extended outwards and handed her 50 dollars, which she quickly pocketed.

"Subtle product placement, Aunt Slappy!" Skippy grinned sarcastically.

"Says the kid who blew all his college savings in Vegas..." muttered Slappy. "Now keep schtum, I've almost got it..."

After a few more tries, she found what she was looking for. She jabbed her umbrella at a small pixellated area in the top-left of the screen.

"There, you see? I knew I was right. He's keeping him locked up in that fancy house there. And I'd bet my entire supply of dynamite he's got some stories to tell..."

Skippy looked closely.

It was hard to make out in the picture quality they had, but in the background behind Brain, in a not-completely-cemented section of a window on the Brain House, was a sleeping Pinky.


	7. Taking a Stand, Making a Vow

**Here's another wonderful installment for everyone! I've tried to drag the Warners into the limelight for this one - again, it's a bit slower-paced, but I hope it's enjoyable all the same! Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7: Taking a Stand, Making a Vow**

"He's gone too far," were the first words Yakko heard when he woke up the morning after Brain's "Brain House" speech. Great, he thought. This is all I've been hearing about for a week now. He missed the creativity and variety of _Animaniacs_...

These words had been uttered by Dot, who had grown noticeably more short-tempered and bitter since Brain had taken over. Wakko had decided to 'grin and bear it', but rarely spoke to Yakko or Dot anymore and preferred to be content nibbling chunks out of a chair, something he'd managed to keep intact despite the emotional weight he'd been handed.

"Yeah, Dot, we know..." Yakko silenced her complaints as he joined his siblings in the water tower's lounge. "We've only heard it, like, 30 times before..."

Dot just huffed and folded her arms.

"Aw, c'mon..." Yakko grinned, thinking he'd tease her a bit, "Where's the Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bobesca The Third we all know and love? Oh, wait... I screwed up the last bit..."

Still no reaction from his sister. He decided to resort to extreme measures.

"OK, Dottie, have it your way..." He knew instantly he'd struck a chord. Dot leapt from her chair, pinning Yakko to the ground.

"Call me Dottie and you die..."

"OK, sure, Dottie, I'll remember that!"

Dot looked like she wanted to hit him, but instead chose to run outside onto the water tower balcony, her hands plastered to her face.

Yakko's heart sank. He hadn't meant to upset her. What had he been thinking? He knew the stress she was under... her life, after all, was at the moment being controlled by a mouse...

Shrugging half-heartedly at Wakko, who gave a sheepish grin in return, he slowly walked outside onto the balcony. What he saw made him want to go back inside, though – Dot was dangling her legs over the side of the balcony, crying her eyes out.

"Dot, I..." Yakko began to move towards her.

"Go away."

"Wh-what?" Of all the things he'd expected to hear, it wasn't this.

"You heard me. Go away, Yakko."

"Sure, I heard you, but..."

She held up one hand. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear any more of your 'sarcastic' comments, you selfish jerk!"

Yakko was completely taken aback. This really _wasn't_ the Dot he knew and loved. Even so, he stood his ground.

"No."

She whipped around, looking murderous.

"What do you mean, _no_?" she rolled out the last word with every amount of bitterness on her tongue.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's gotten into you, young lady."

Her face worked frantically, as though it was trying to come out with a suitable backlash, but it gave up as she just sighed, sat back down and resumed her crying.

Yakko was completely thrown out of the loop. Should he go back in or stay with her? His better judgement seemed to be screaming at Option 2, so that was the one he went with.

He made his way over to Dot and sat down next to her. Briefly, he cringed, expecting another slap, but when none came, he relaxed.

"I...It's just..." Dot sniffled. Then, without warning: "I hate him! I _hate_ him!"

"Whoa, sis... who?"

She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, like you don't know. Or maybe you don't. Oh, don't worry; he's nothing, just some everyday _tyrannical mouse overlord who's ruining everyone's lives_!" she yelled, her voice gaining an upward screech as she reached the last few words.

Both Warners sat silent for a moment. Eventually, Yakko spoke:

"Geez, sis... it's only been a week with this guy in charge, and already you hate him. That's gotta be a new world record, even for you!"

She smiled weakly. Yakko brightened a little.

"It's just... I don't know how much more of him I can take..." Dot sniffled. "He's everywhere... on the streets... on TV... on the internet... on the radio... everywhere. And now he's gone and plastered a building shaped like his head into Burbank... it's too much. I can't get away from him, and I feel... trapped."

Yakko felt a biting sensation in his stomach as she said that last word. He knew exactly how she was feeling – he'd known that Brain taking over would mean trouble from the start, and this just proved him right. He put his arm around Dot.

"I know how you're feeling, sis..."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. Hey, I may be an annoying older brother, but even annoying older brothers have feelings, you know."

She feigned surprise. "That's news to me!"

They both chuckled. Dot began dabbing away at her tears. It never failed to amaze Yakko how quickly her mood could swing...

"You're a great brother, Yakko. I really mean that."

Yakko was so surprised he almost fell off the water tower.

"Whoa. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Dot?"

"No, I mean it when I say I mean it." She pulled him into a hug. Yakko was pretty embarrassed.

"Uh, Dot... I do need to breathe, y'know..."

"Oh, sorry..." she let him go.

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it," he grinned slyly, "you're not half bad for a little sister."

"I try my best."

Both Warners fell silent again as they looked out at the rising sun.

"Just know this, Dot..." Yakko began.

"Hey, whoa!" Dot pointed two lines up from this one. "Haven't you been reading? We're meant to be silent!"

"Really, sis? Fourth wall jokes? At your age?"

"The classics never get old!"

Yakko smiled proudly at her sister. "Now, c'mon, let's get in, or we'll be colder than Brain himself..."

Dot turned to him slowly.

"It was just a metaphor!" he protested.

"You are _impossible_ sometimes, Yakko Warner!" she pretended to sound moody, but smiled, letting him know he was off the hook for now.

"Can I finish now, Mrs. I-Can't-Keep-The-Fourth-Wall-Intact?"

"Sure."

Yakko cleared his throat: "Just know this, Dot... as long as I'm around, you, Wakko, or any other person on this planet will not be harmed!" He coughed.

"Wow, that was... really out of character for you. Who's writing this stuff?"

Yakko looked up at the sky. "No-one really knows..."

Smiling, he joined his sister in the water tower.

"So, what happened?" Wakko asked, coming over.

"Oh, not much..." Dot yawned. "Yakko just swore he'd protect every person on the planet from Brain."

Wakko stared wide-eyed at his brother. "Really?"

Yakko smiled, but groaned inside his head. Stupid author. What had he gotten himself into...?

In their acorn tree on the other side of the city, Slappy and Skippy were planning something big.

"OK, Skippy. Any ideas?"

"What are we talking about again?"

"Oh, no. Do _not _make me do the whole 'repeat-for-the-viewer' shtick again..."

He stared at her meaningfully.

"Ugh, fine, fine!" she waved her arms about. "OK, so here's the basic concept: we rally round and try to gather up as many of the old _Animaniacs_ cast as we can, right? Then, trying not to get our butts kicked as far as possible, we make our way to this mouse's House, get in there, and try and knock..."

Skippy stared even harder at her.

"...er, I mean, _talk_ some sense into him. And if he won't listen, we'll just spring his dumb sidekick and have him tell the public about the kind of guy he really is, sending his reputation plungin' lower than Peewee Herman's. Happy, now?"

"Yup."

"Good, now tell me: you got a good idea for gettin' the cast back together? I got nothin', and if you don't come out with something fast, this entire subplot's goin' down the drain!"

"Gee, we sure are breaking the fourth wall a lot in this chapter, huh?"

"Aaaand, he fails to realise the irony in that statement..." Slappy grinned. "But, at any rate, let's get on with this, I need to take my lumbago medicine at 5..."

The two kept quiet as they each sketched out ideas on paper. It was the start of something that could potentially throw Brain off the throne...

In a trashcan about 4 miles from the Warner movie lot, Bobby, Pesto and Squit were digging around for leftovers. Since getting booted out of the Goodfeathers, they'd had to make do with what they could find in waste and on the street. It was tough living, but, as Squit so optimistically put it:

"That's life!"

"What's life? You tryin' to get me goin' again?" Pesto growled.

"Geez, Pesto, lay off him, for once..." Bobby said, "that running gag's gettin' old. Bada bing, there it is!"

All three pigeons looked up to see a huge pile of plastic bags, the contents of which were hopefully edible.

"Gimme a wing, Squit..." Bobby grunted as he began to pull at one of the corners of a bag. Squit flew up and helped him, splitting the bag and sending the garbage tumbling down straight onto Pesto's head.

"DeNiro, watch where you're chuckin'!" Pesto moaned, massaging his beak.

"Hey, Pesto, shut it!" Bobby had become incredibly interested in a piece of paper that had evidently come loose from a news magazine. All three birds bent low to read it:

The headline read: MOUSE CREATES NEW HOUSE AS BRAIN FORMS NEW CENTRE OF OPERATIONS!

"Aw, not that guy again!" Squit said. "He's everywhere!"

"Well, he is only the ruler o' the world, Squit!" Bobby said. "But I ain't standin' for this no more. We're tough birds, you know what I'm sayin'? We've gotta get over to this... this..." – he checked the paper again - "Brain House and give that bozo a piece of my mind. What do you say? You guys in?"

Pesto and Squit nodded in agreement and shook each other's wing.

"Bada bing, that settles it. Goodfeathers or not, we can't just stand here and let some rat –"

"Mouse." corrected Squit.

"Whatever! You think I care? He's dead meat, anyway, when I get my wings on him... Now come on, we got work to do."

Inadvertently abandoning the trashcan, the three birds flew off into the rising sun with one goal in mind – get Brain.


	8. Rebellion

**First off, I'm really sorry for the late update! Issues at home, I'm afraid. But this chapter is pretty long to make up for it, so happy reading! As always, reviews are appreciated, and thanks for all the positive feedback so far, guys, it's really encouraging to know that you Fanfictioners enjoy my work! Hope you like the chapter!**

**************__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

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**Chapter 8: Rebellion**

The sun was, once again, setting over another miserable day in Burbank. However, in the Brain House on the east side of the city (formerly ACME Labs) Brain had just awoken from a short evening nap and was already preparing to pass what could quite possibly be the most critical law of his time as leader.

Brain hopped out of his chair and made his way over to the large, padlocked cage that contained a sleeping Pinky. For a moment, he considered opening it for old times' sake, but upon hearing Pinky utter a soft "poit" in his sleep, he decided not to. Continuing his slow walk, he eventually came to the small intercom system that he used to communicate with his minions. Pressing the 'transmit' button, he began to speak:

"Guard? Come in, Guard."

No answer.

"Guard?" Brain tried again, a bit more forcefully: "Guard, get up this instant! Phase Three is ready!"

The only response Brain got this time was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snore.

Brain growled, then practically screamed down the line: "Guard, get up now, or your pay gets cut 50%!"

A spluttering sound was heard, then a confused "Oh! Uh -there's baloney in our slacks? Huh?"

"So, you've decided to join the living..." Brain continued icily.

"Oh, urm..." a nervous chuckle was heard. "Sorry, boss... just checkin' the insides of my eyelids..."

"Oh, never mind your pathetic attempts at excuses!" Brain's voice began to pick up in volume, but he hastily lowered it when he saw Pinky stir. "Phase Three is ready. You may begin."

"Sure, boss!" The guard eagerly released his end of the line and ran off.

Brain did the same and turned to Pinky's cage, then back toward the intercom. "Well, I could have done worse... I could have hired Ralph." He slapped his cheek. "Oh, no... I did."

Outside, the three guards of the Brain House were beginning to put Phase Three of Brain's plan for total control into action. Each of them sent a call on their radios to one of their colleagues, who in turn contacted another, and so on until eventually the message to initiate the process had reached all of Brain's representatives around the world, from China to Iceland. As soon as they all got the message, they began instantly. All of the men went round their respective towns, bursting through the citizen's front doors and herding them all into a large area that had been erected, along with a huge blank LCD screen. Brain had christened these stations 'Brain Viewing Areas'. No person escaped the thugs' vigilant eyes – not even a certain cast of characters in Burbank:

"Hey, whoa, what the heck are ya doin'?" Yakko protested as he and Wakko were pulled from the water tower and thrown to the ground by a pair of muscular men. Wakko rubbed his eyes tiredly and hid behind his brother as Dot followed them to the floor with a loud bump.

"Geez, watch it!" she yelled at the men. "I was dreaming about Mel Gibson there!"

The men's eyes flared up and instantly they drew a pair of pistols and aimed them squarely at Dot, whose eyes widened in terror as she joined Wakko behind Yakko's back.

"Gee, thanks..." Yakko muttered sarcastically. "Now I don't feel vulnerable at all..." He looked over at the two men, grinning. "Let's just settle this diplomatically, huh?" He wandered casually over to one of the thugs and leant on his gun. "Say, Mac... what's that ya got there?"

"A gun."

"Uh-huh. I thought so. Tell me, bub – ya got a licence for that thing?"

"Uh... I think so."

"OK, but have you got a Toon-Shootin' Licence?"

"A what?"

Yakko feigned shock. "Oh, you don't know what that is? It's this super-rare licence that legally allows you to threaten Toons like us with guns. Without it, you're in bi-i-ig trouble, mister."

The man's face worked like clockwork. Yakko knew that he, being the very model of a cartoon individual, still had some tricks up his sleeve:

"So, Mac – ya got a Toon-Shootin' Licence?"

"Uh... no."

"Well, then, I'm afraid you're breakin' the law just pointin' that thing at us!" Yakko continued. "Sorry, but there's a strict punishment for threatenin' Toons without a Toon-Shootin' Licence. You know what that is?"

"No."

"I was kinda hoping you'd say that..." Yakko turned and winked at his brother. "Show 'em, Wakko."

Wakko smiled and within seconds he had pulled a huge mallet out of nowhere and smashed the two thugs into the ground. Dot just rolled her eyes. "Boys... all instincts, no intellect."

"No time for wisecracks, sibs – make like Speedy Gonzales!" Yakko said as he shot off across the lot. His siblings quickly followed him, and all three picked up speed – only to run straight into a net.

"Wha-?" Wakko murmured as they were lifted off their feet and got a look at who their captor was. "Ralph?!"

"Duh, that's right! I works for Da Brain now. What a nice guy!" He motioned behind him and the Warners saw a large van parked near Ralph's booth containing Thaddeus Plotz, Dr. Scratchansniff, and Hello Nurse, all bound and gagged. Too shocked to make a move, the three Toons allowed themselves to be thrown into the trunk with them. Ralph slammed the door, and immediately got into the driver's seat and set off for the nearest Brain Viewing Area.

Across the way, Slappy's acorn tree had been surrounded by at least five of Brain's minions. She was just about managing to keep them at bay with a steady stream of TNT and hot wax, provided by Skippy who made frequent trips to the pair's secret storage hole in the basement.

"Back off, ya loons!" Slappy yelled, tipping another vat of scalding hot goop onto the men. "I told you: I'm not interested in anything that jerk has to say!"

The response she got was the same one she'd been getting for the past hour: "Resistance is futile. Submit to the Brain."

"Yeah? Submit this!" Slappy lobbed a stick of dynamite into his shirt pocket, sending him sprawling across the floor as it exploded.

"You remind me of a very mature Jeremy Abbott!" Slappy chuckled. "More ammo, Skippy!"

"You bet!" Skippy handed his aunt a grenade. Slappy looked at it.

"Now, if I was a proper, responsible aunt, I'd tell you about the dangers of grenades and how you should never use them against other people."

Skippy looked at his aunt confusedly.

"Fortunately, I'm not! Ha! Let 'em have it, nephew!" Slappy bawled as she pulled the pin and gave a war cry as the explosive flew through the air and blasted more of the men apart. But several kept coming.

"They sure are tenacious, huh? Go get some more TNT Skippy, while I deploy the big guns..."

Skippy's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Yup. Now, off you go, I don't want ya to see this. Fetch some more wax."

Skippy nodded and left. Slappy bent down and retrieved an old, dusty wooden box from under her bed. Blowing on it, she pulled a key out from under her hat and cautiously unlocked the box, lifting its crumbly contents out carefully.

"Here it is..." she whispered. "The biggest bomb that ever existed... my old vintage VHS copy of... Ishtar!"

Covering her eyes with one hand she dropped the video out the window. There was a loud bang and a huge flash which could only mean the 'bomb' had hit home.

"Hahahahaha! We really got 'em good this time, huh, Skippy?"

No answer.

"Skippy?"

Silence. Slappy's heart began to race as she ran as fast as her rigid bones could carry her down to the living room. 'Please, say Skippy's OK, please say he wasn't outside, please...'

"Aunt Slappy!"

"Skippy!" Slappy yelled gleefully as she stumbled into her sitting room. "You're OK, you're –"

But what she saw was far from OK. Three men had Skippy clutched tightly in their arms and one had a pistol aimed directly at his forehead. Slappy clutched her chest. How did they -? She felt a breeze on her tail and she span around to see an open door. She slapped herself. The back door. How could she have forgotten about the back door?

"It's Brain's speech or the kid." The man with the gun growled, tightening his grip.

"O-OK..." Slappy murmured. She thought about pulling more dynamite out of her purse, but realised that senseless cartoon violence could only get her so far. Reluctantly, she allowed one of the men to secure her and lead her out the back door.

She didn't care anymore, Slappy decided. Their subplot plan was dead, and now even their lives were at risk. She shook her head. It didn't matter. She was just an old place-filler. Skippy was worth more than she was...

In the skies above the city, the former Goodfeathers, Bobby, Pesto and Squit, were hastily making their way toward the Brain House, plan in mind.

"So, let's run over that again, OK?" Bobby began. "We fly into one of those windows, find this – mouse – and peck open his brainbox 'til he can't think no more, let alone rule a planet. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"You got it, Bobby," Pesto nodded. "That's a brilliant plan. Simple, an' easy for me to understand."

"It is a bit basic, though..." Squit said. "I mean, who's to say we're just gonna be able to fly in there? And attack the mouse? And get outta there the same way we got in? We got no chance!"

Pesto eyed him. "You findin' fault? Are you findin' fault? You are! You're a little fault-finder, that's what you are!"

"No, I'm just sayin' I'd rather not get killed here. I've seen enough movies and shows and read enough books to know where this is going. You ever heard the saying: "Don't kill the birds"?"

All three pigeons gave an aside glance toward the 'fourth wall'.

"You know what?" Pesto flew over to Squit. "Just for that blatant fourth-wall breakage, I'm gonna pummel ya. That's it!" He slapped Squit and all three birds fell 20 metres to the sidewalk below.

"Nice goin', Pesto..." Bobby moaned.

"Wha-wha-wha-what did I do?" Pesto backed off.

"Coo, when I get my wings on you..." Bobby advanced on him.

"Yo, Bobby, come on!" Squit pulled him away. "The last thing we need right now is some crazy, dramatic, emotional subplot."

Bobby's eyes widened as he looked over Squit's shoulder. "Yeah, and the last, last thing we need is _that_!"

All three birds whirled around just in time to see a large sack. Then it all went black.

The rest of the Animaniacs cast, and the rest of the world's citizens, were rounded up shortly after. Brain's minions enlisted the help of a dog catcher to pick up Rita and Runt. Chicken Boo was lured to the Brain Viewing Area with a large supply of corn and peanuts. The only cast member who the guards couldn't round up was Minerva Mink – one look at her and they'd performed a wild take and melted into cartoon sludge – so they'd permitted her to stay at home and watch the speech on her TV.

All across the globe, men, women, children and Toons were all herded into the Brain Viewing Areas, and the pen doors were shut soon after. Phase Three seemed to be running smoothly. Every single person was glumly watching the large LCD screens, waiting hesitantly for Brain to make his third major speech. Except one.

For back in Burbank, Slappy had spotted the rest of the Animaniacs cast being forced into their local Brain Viewing Area. She looked down at Skippy, who was evidently thinking the same thing as her, as he gave her a knowing grin.

Winking at him, she turned her head back to the screen, but her mind worked madly, focusing on the rest of the cast.

'Sure, it's no Brain House,' she thought triumphantly, 'but our little plan might just work out after all..."


	9. Plan of Action

**Yes, guess who's back! It's me! First off, I'd like to explain why things have been taking so long to update. First off, the computer I originally used to type this up got busted, so there was that. But I feel that this chapter more than makes up for it, as I've loaded on the comedy and also revealed more of Brain's plans. Hint: they're not good. As ever, sorry about the wait, but I hope you enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated as always, be they praise or constructive criticism. Thanks for all the feedback, it really helps! Updates should be more regular from now on. But for now, enjoy Chapter 9!**

******************__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

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**Chapter 9: Plan of Action**

"Hey, watch where you're shovin'!"

Yakko thrashed around violently as he and his siblings were pushed forcefully into the Brain Viewing Area by Ralph.

"Duh, you's better make sures you stays in there, Da Brain doesn't loik peoples intafeerin' wit his leaderships!"

Ralph gave them what could have been interpreted as a triumphant grin as he locked the gate. The Warners cast their eyes across the large pen. The whole of Burbank was there, crammed against each other in front of the colossal LCD screen that stood at one end of the pen, waiting for Brain to begin his most significant speech yet. But it wasn't this that interested them.

"Hey, look guys!" Wakko nudged the other two in the side. "Isn't that...?"

The other two looked over and followed Wakko's finger to where it was pointing. They had to slap themselves in the faces when they saw who it was.

"Slappy?!" Dot began disbelievingly. "They managed to get _Slappy_?!"

"Slappy?!" Yakko added. "How did they catch _Slappy_?!"

"Slappy?!" Wakko chimed in cheerfully. "How is she still alive?!"

His siblings glared at him.

"Nice, Wakko. Very nice." Yakko rolled his eyes.

"What?" Wakko stared him in the face.

"Never mind, Wakko" Dot said. "But wow, really, Slappy?!"

"Don't you start that again!" Yakko retorted.

"No, I'm serious! Brain clearly means business..."

"He's a mouse who's taken over the world, Dot, I think we kinda got that by now..."

"Really! I'm worried! If they could get Slappy, the Queen of Kabooms, the Baroness of all Blasting Matter, the Overlord of Senseless Cartoon Violence, then... who knows what they can do?"

"Well, I don't know what they can do..." Wakko began, but then a sly grin crept across his face as he decided to add: "well, actually, I do have _one_ idea of what they can do..."

"Mwah! G'night everybody!" Yakko blew a kiss.

"OK, seriously now, where are the dang censors here?" Dot flailed her arms.

Yakko adopted a posh, solemn tone that made Wakko giggle: "Oh, Dot, haven't you learnt by now? _Animaniacs _was the very definition of envelope pushing. We could do whatever we wanted..." to complete the look, he pulled a bubble pipe out of his hammerspace and blew it casually, "... and the censors never got us. Take _Lake Titicaca _for example. You see, that was notorious because..."

"OK, I think we get the point!" Dot yanked on his pipe.

"Whoa, did you seriously just type that?" Yakko was in a fit of giggles, laughing at the author. "See, sis? Even the author can't help it!"

He collapsed to the floor, and Wakko soon followed, tears streaming down their eyes.

"And here we have a fine specimen of the common _Toonius Vulgaris" _Dot said dryly. "With emphasis on the 'vulgar'."

But she couldn't help smirking.

Wakko was the first to recover, pushing himself up.

"Wow... hoo-hoo... now, can I finish my sentence without Mr. Under-the-Radar here interjecting?"

"Go right ahead..." Yakko choked, still on the floor.

"OK. As I was saying, I don't know what they can do..."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Dot growled at Yakko as another grin split his face.

"Nah, you're right." He fell back. "It's too easy..."

Wakko continued unfazed: "... but I know what _you_ can do, Yakko."

Yakko looked up and did a double take. "Wait, what?"

"No, not like that! I seem to remember you mentioning something about..." he pulled his copy of _When Mice Ruled the Earth_ from his hammerspace.

"Wow, subtle..." Dot grinned.

Wakko glared at her as he turned to Chapter 7. "Ah, here we are..." he cleared his throat. "Quote/unquote: 'Just know this, Dot... as long as I'm around, you, Wakko, or any other person on this planet will not be harmed!'"

He returned the little book to his hammerspace. Yakko stared at him open-mouthed.

"I said that?"

"Yup."

"Wow... that's really - "

"Out of character for you, we know, the joke's been done!" Dot groaned.

"And now here's your chance to make good on your promise, big bro!" Wakko hugged him.

"Whoa, what? That was some stupid author speaking, not me!"

"Oh, so now you're going back on your promises?" Dot folded her arms. "I expected as much, I gotta say..."

"Hang on there, Dot! I'm just one guy! I can't take care of an entire planet!"

"No," Wakko nodded, looking up, "... but you can take care of _us_."

That got Yakko right in the heart. No, literally. Dot punched him in the chest when he didn't answer.

"Come on, ya schmoozeball, look where we are! We'll never make it out alive" she motioned behind her where an inexplicable explosion has suddenly occurred in the middle of the pen for no visible reason.

"I see your point..." Yakko responded dryly. "But don't worry, sibs. I'm sure someone, somewhere has a plan!"

**MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PEN**

"I've got a plan." Slappy announced to Skippy.

"Wow, it only took you six months to figure that one out!"

"Hey, can I help it if the author's computer broke?"

"Yes. You blew it up with last year's TNT ration because you thought your characterization in the story was awful."

Slappy blinked. "You got me there. Disclaimers aside, listen here. Here's what we're gonna do..."

However, her words were soon cut off when the clank of the last gate of the Brain Viewing Area sounded. At once the LCD screen glowed a deathly blue and a large voice boomed:

"LADIES, GENTLEMEN, TOONS... PLEASE AT LEAST MAKE SOME FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO WELCOME YOUR GREAT AND GLORIOUS LEADER, THE BRAIN! Please note, any booing will result in death. Thank you."

The audience reluctantly clapped as the screen changed to yellow and Brain strutted onto the screen and began to talk. Slappy, however, was not paying the slightest attention.

"Awww, forget that hooey." She whispered to Skippy. "Like I was sayin', here's what we're gonna do. You see them three over there?"

She pointed at the Warners across the pen who were staring flabbergasted at Brain.

"Whoa, the _Warners_?! They managed to get – "

"NO!" Slappy put her hand on his mouth. "Don't. Now then, what else do you notice about the crowd. Go on, look around..."

Skippy clambered onto Slappy's shoulders and scanned the crowd. In one corner he saw a red-and-white striped hat.

"Hey, Aunt Slappy! I found Waldo!"

"Well done, kid!" She leaned towards the fourth wall. "... these are the jokes, folks."

Skippy resumed looking about. One by one, he saw the various other cast members from _Animaniacs, _looking utterly distraught.

"Aunt Slappy!"

"Don't tell me you found Wizard Whitebeard?!"

"No, duh, Dumbledore died!"

Slappy rolled her eyes. "... we are supposed to be 90s characters, right?"

Skippy shot her a look and continued. "No. He's got the whole cast of _Animaniacs_ cooped up in here. The mouse has gone ratty!"

"I thought as much..."

"Wow, was the pun really that obvious?"

"No. I mean that he's clearly got somethin' cooking in his oversized cooker. There's gotta be a reason he wanted us all here. Still, if this works, we won't be here ta find out. Now, Skippy, I want you to memorize their locations."

"OK, sure." Skippy pulled a camera out of his hammerspace and took a snapshot of the crowd. "Done."

"Cheap, yet effective. You'll go far, my boy!" Slappy grinned.

Skippy hopped down. All the while, Brain droned on in the background, discussing politics and finance. The audience was getting visibly agitated.

"Now, I want you to dodge through this crowd, and take that photo to the Warners. Tell 'em to split up and give everyone from _Animaniacs _the following message: 'When Slappy sneezes, pull a bomb from your hammerspace and throw it at the screen'."

"... I don't think the author would like that..."

"No, ya fuzzball, Brain's screen! Anyway, once they've done that, it should create a good enough distraction for us all to fly the coop. Now, you got that?"

"Yep!"

"OK then, off ya go. Don't get trampled on the way."

Skippy made off, but just as he dodged around the first person, Slappy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, and Skippy... that pun really _was_ obvious."

Skippy rolled his eyes and off he went. He dodged around the numerous legs, feet and people lying on the ground, as well as some unpleasant substances on the floor, and made it to the Warners on the far side of the pen. He tapped Dot on the foot.

"Eek! Snake!" Dot screeched.

"Spew! I hate snakes!" Skippy stood up. "Hey guys."

"Whoa... Skippy... is that you?" Wakko mouthed. "You've, uh, changed..."

It was true that Skippy's body had matured considerably since _Animaniacs_. He was now a good bit taller, his voice was deeper and no longer had to be digitally edited, and his arm muscles were thicker. But he was still recognisable as Slappy Squirrel's nephew.

"Yeah, I guess I have..."

"So, Skippy," Yakko said, "how've you been enjoying college?"

"College nothing!" Skippy folded his arms proudly. "I went to Vegas!"

Yakko grinned slyly and leaned towards the fourth wall. "There ya go, kids. The moral of the story."

"Oh, please. Do you seriously think any kids are gonna be reading this, what with all your racy jokes and the fact that most kids nowadays have never even heard of us?"

"Whoa, Dot, keep in context!" Skippy reprimanded her, before turning to Yakko. "Anyway, Aunt Slappy told me to give you this..."

He handed him the photo.

What's this, a clipping from Where's Waldo?"

"That's exactly what I - oh. Never mind."

Skippy then wasted no time in relaying Slappy's message and signal to the three.

"Sure thing, Skip!" Yakko chided. "We can handle that!"

"It'll be nice meeting old friends again!" Wakko optimistically added.

The Warners set off pushing into the crowd to round up the cast. Skippy returned to Slappy.

"All done!"

"Great work, kiddo. Now to wait for just the right moment."

While she waited, she finally turned her attention to what Brain was saying.

"... and it is for all these reasons, and more, that I believe Toons to be a threat to society. Having served under and been a colleague to several in my great and storied career, I am well aware of the facts. They constantly wreak havoc in our fair and peaceful land. They must be contained. Which brings me to the pinnacle of my lecture today."

The audience couldn't believe what they were hearing. Toons? The funny, money-making backbone of Burbank, a threat? Surely not.

"... yes, my obedient people. As of now, Toons are officially outlawed. All cartoon characters will, in order to maintain the peace, be required to file an official resignation before moving into their... new home."

Brain grinned slyly and then nodded at something offscreen. At that very moment, every Brain Viewing Area on the planet began to change. The floor rumbled and broke apart. The giant LCD screens switched off and began to transform. Large mechanical arms extended from either end of them. They split in two, and began to rise off the ground, revealing a large series of metal cages surrounded by electrical forcefields. At once, the cages joined together along with the monitors and arms to create huge mechanical devices. They were now essentially colossal doomsday machines for Toons.

At the BVA in Burbank, the transformation was nearing completion. The terrifying machination rose from the ground, joining with its cages, to make a contraption that matched the millions of others across the globe.

Brain had begun his final move.

"Meet the Brain Bots." Brain announced in deadpan. "These magnificent machines will ensure that no Toon evades capture. All Toons will be contained within a Brain Bot and will be subdued, allowing society to move on peacefully. No Toon will have a say in their fate..."

As Brain began his obligatory 'rules and regulations' bit, Skippy was staring open mouthed at what would soon become his prison. He decided to act.

"Well, that escalated quickly..." Slappy muttered calmly as ever.

"Aunt Slappy! Sneeze!" Skippy yelled as Brain gained an upward screech in tone.

"What?"

"Oh, for the love of – " Skippy produced a pepperpot from his hammerspace and shook it in Slappy's face.

"Hey, Skippy, what am I always tellin' ya? Sight Gag Number A113, AKA the Pepper Sneeze Gag, is not to be used under any..." she faltered, drew breath, and let loose a mountain moving sneeze.

"Alright, sibs, there's our cue!" shouted Yakko. "Let 'em have it!"

All at once, every Toon present in the crowd produced a single cartoon bomb and hurled it simultaneously at the Brain Bot.

It was utter chaos. All the humans were stampeding for the exits. Explosions were going off left right and centre, while Brain tried to maintain control of the situation, yelling madly:

"_You see, this is why Toons must be contained! Their mischievous natures prove hazardous for society! They must be stopped! Brain Bot! Get them!"_

Everything went loose at once. The Brain Bot staggered from its fall and quickly stood up again. It slowly raised one of its large metal arms towards the crowd, and a large, vacant hole opened up in it. All of the Toon's eyes widened at once as they realised what was going to happen.

And they were right. A powerful suction began to drag all of them towards the Brain Bots' arm. The Warners were the first to go, whirling into the void.

"Hey, it's rufflin' my feathers! _That's it_!" Pesto yelled, attempting to flap away and sock the Brain Bot in its head, but he too was sucked up. All of the Toons in the crowd were disappearing into the void.

Skippy was next. "Aunt Slappy!" he called as he felt himself leaving the ground.

"Don't worry, kiddo! I'm on my way!" Slappy hooked her umbrella on a nearby fence as she grabbed Skippy's foot. The two were now suspended in the air, mere metres away from their doom. As the fence began to move, they realised in horror that it was yet another part of the Brain Bot. It flicked them off and they swirled down the pipe.

They could have sworn they saw a small pink-and-white speck disappearing into the distance as they whirled into the blackness.


	10. It's Not Pretty Being Her

**OK, guys, it's here. I'm motivated at last! After quite a big hiatus, during which a lot of stuff happened at home that I won't go into - apart from the fact that the stuff was largely responsible for my lack of updates - Chapter 10 is here! In this one, I tried to build up some character's relationships on a more emotional level as well as giving some lesser characters more time to shine (ie: Minerva Mink). I know you all probably have big expectations for the whole Brain Bot thing, but, as this chapter shows, all is not what it seems with that... what could be going on? Read on, enjoy, and find out! As always, reviews are welcome (not to mention extremely helpful!).**

**********************__****Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I own nothing (except for this story, obviously), this is purely for my own enjoyment.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: It's Not Pretty Being Her**

Total darkness engulfed the cast as they were swirled mercilessly down the arm of the Brain Bot. Giant steel plates crashed above them as dust was loosened, enveloping them.

Dot coughed ferociously as she was ejected, along with the others, into what appeared to be a large metallic dome; the stomach of the beast. Her siblings followed her, plopping onto the solid steel floor one by one, reminiscent of the good old days when they'd throw themselves out of the water tower together. Once they'd got their bearings, the three stood up, brushed themselves down, and looked around. It was a horrifying sight. They'd been dumped in what was effectively a huge holding pen, with insurmountable smooth walls, grinding gears accentuating the sloping ceiling, and the constant thudding sound as the Brain Bot made its way across Burbank, laying waste to the community and devouring all Toons in its path. Dot began to shiver uncontrollably, and Wakko put his arm affectionately around her. Yakko was the first to speak.

"Huh. That Brain sure is a loon! He thinks this can hold us?! We're Toons, for cryin' out loud!"

Testing his theory, he pulled yet another bomb from his hammerspace and threw it at one of the endless walls. It bounced off, rolled up to Yakko's feet, and promptly exploded, sending Yakko sprawling comically across the smooth floor. He sighed.

"In which case, he's right. It can."

Wakko scowled, gesturing his thumb meaningfully at Dot who clearly didn't appreciate Yakko's little 'experiment'.

"Gee, thanks for the motivational support, big brother..." For once, Wakko's trademark tongue was not in its usual place hanging out of his mouth as he folded his arms, irritated, at Yakko.

Yakko began to answer. "Look, sibs, I know that..."

Before he could finish, however, he was promptly cut off by the rest of the _Animaniacs _cast being shot into the room in a a huge cluster, hitting Yakko and sending him across the floor once more.

"Eesh. This better not be a running theme."

The rest of the cast got up and looked around at their new prison. Skippy was shaking, mortified by the experience.

"Why are they doing this to us, Aunt Slappy?"

Slappy put a comforting arm around him.

"Ehh, I'd explain it to ya, kid, but I'd be lying 'cause I've got absolutely no idea myself. Don't worry, though, kiddo. Once we get outta here we'll blow that rodent so high he'll break the altitude record. Twice."

Skippy sniffed, but smiled weakly up at his aunt, anyway. She always knew how to keep his spirits up. He pulled her close into a hug, surprising her.

"Alright, kid. Cry me a river if ya gotta, but don't make it an ocean. We only got so much space in here." She patted him on the back.

Meanwhile, the Goodfeathers picked themselves up, rubbing their beaks. Pesto folded his arms.

"If we ever get outta here, dat mouse is gonna pay! I just had these feathers cleaned!"

Squit sighed, mellow as ever. "I think the operative word here is 'if', Pesto... this place looks pretty, I dunno... _inescapable_?"

Pesto scowled at him, but Bobby held him back.

"Nah, Pesto. Knock it off. As much as you'd hate to, ya gotta admit Squit's got a point. Call him what ya like, but dat Brain sure knows how ta build a prison, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"Ahh, pull the other tail feather! All it needs is a good, swift kick!" As if to prove his point, he pulled one pigeon foot back, and delivered a blow to one of the walls. Absolutely nothing happened; apart from Pesto gaining a very sore foot.

"Ow! Scorsese, that _hurts_!"

Squit sniggered. Pesto rounded on him in an instant.

"What you laughin' at, big-beak? You think it's funny that I hurt myself? That I'm some kind of fool? Some kind of medieval court jester, here ta amuse you and kick walls for your enjoyment? _Is that what you're sayin?_"

Squit stopped sniggering. He considered for a moment, then nodded confidently. "Yes."

Pesto's beak fell open. Of all things, he wasn't expecting _that_. He gaped at Squit, then slowly moped off, mortified. "I got nothin'."

Bobby shook his head. "I think ya broke him, Squit. Dis is absolutely ridiculous, you know what I mean? They just expect us to just sit here and do nothin'?"

"Actually..." Squit sighed. "I think they do."

Bobby eyed him, but disregarded his comment. "The point I'm makin' is that we're still technically Goodfeathers, official title or not. And what would Goodfeathers do in this kinda mess, huh?"

"Sit here and do nothin'?" Pesto spoke up, still shaken from Squit's response.

"_No_, ya bird brain! Do something! Anything! Whatever it takes ta get us out of this scrape! Whaddaya say?"

"Forget it, Bobby. We ain't the powerful pigeons we used to be no more. We can't do nothin'."

"He has a point," Pesto concurred, much to Bobby's surprise. Even _Pesto_ was agreeing with him. Bobby flopped down, at his wit's end.

"In dat case, I don't got nothin' either. We're as good as fricasseed."

Runt, on the other side of things, was cowering in a corner, disturbed by the sudden change of scenery.

"This definitely can't be good. Definitely can't."

Rita patted him on the nose consolingly. "Come on, ya big mutt. We all knew it would come to this... it was just a matter of time. Now, let's forget about it and try to think about more important stuff."

Runt immediately perked up, panting happily. "Singing? Oh, boy! We're gonna sing, right, Rita?" He cleared his throat and began. "_Oh, we're stuck in a big metal house! Definitely, definitely stuck..._"

Rita put one paw on her cheek, sighing. "Geez. _Dogs_. The reason stupidity was invented. Nice improv, though..."

She turned seriously to him. "No, ya big lug. Shut your trap, for once. Just for once, we aren't singing."

Runt's already long face fell even further. "Oh. That's a shame, definitely a shame. So... what are we doing, then?"

Rita patted him again, sniffing. "We gotta try and find a way outta here, Runt. I know it looks bleak, but we just gotta _try_. I mean, look around ya. Who do ya see?"

Runt peered around him obediently, and, as if noticing them for the first time, wagged his tail excitedly when he saw the rest of the cast. "Hey! It's all our old friends from the show! Definitely our friends, right, Rita?"

"Right. And we know these guys. These are _swell_ people. Heck, if we as a team can't get outta here, who can? Don't worry, buddy. This won't last long."

He whined a little. "Hey, Rita... are you sure we're gonna get outta here?"

She smiled sweetly at him and leaned on a wall casually. "Definitely."

The other members of the cast had fared no better. Chicken Boo was fiddling hopelessly with a false moustache and Minerva Mink was making a feeble attempt to straighten her ruined hair. Dr. Scratchansniff, Ralph, and Hello Nurse were notably absent, and Dot pointed this out to her siblings. "Hey, where's Scratchy?"

The two male Warners had since reconciled and returned to their sister. Yakko shrugged. "Dunno. Perhaps the scheme doesn't include human characters. Discrimination, I say."

Wakko looked at him. "Well, what now?"

He snorted. "Isn't it obvious? We aren't sticking around here! We gotta get outta here before we get crushed, or worse... lose our comedic charm! What's more, I made a promise, and Yakko Warner never breaks a promise!"

He thought for a moment.

"Unless that promise happens to involve an air pump, some glue, four water skis, a trombone, and a package of jawbreakers, but hey. We won't go into that."

Wakko sniggered, then adopted a very proper British accent. "No, good sir. Do tell your frightfully interesting story."

Yakko smiled. Wakko was back on track. That didn't take long.

"Why, of course, my good man! It all started one fateful day in fair Burbank, where we lay our scene..." They wandered off into a corner, chuckling.

Dot rolled her eyes. "Wow. Yakko plus classic literature. A _winning_ combination..." she quipped sarcastically. As they were clearly preoccupied, she began looking for a way out; girls were more organised, anyway. Especially cute girls.

Scanning the boundless walls, she eventually noticed a small security camera on one of the vertices, spying on her every move. Looking at this, then glancing at a very particular member of the disgruntled cast, she grinned.

"Bingo. Let's just hope this thing's male..."

**SOME TIME LATER**

"Dot, what's this for? I can't see a thing!"

"That's the point, stupid."

Dot had begun pulling blindfolds from her hammerspace and using them to cover the eyes of ever male character in the crowd.

"Sorry, big bro. It's a necessary precaution," she muttered when she reached Yakko.

"What, why? Don't ya trust me?" He grinned slyly.

Dot sniggered. "Sure, I trust you. I just don't trust your hormones."

Wakko tilted his blindfolded head quizzically. "Hormones? Wha-?"

Before he could finish, Dot called out to the now only-female group left of the cast.

"OK, the boys are set! _Deploy Minerva Mink!"_

The effect was instantaneous. As soon as they heard her name, the two male Warners began wolf-whistling and calling out _"Hello, Nurse!"_

Wakko panted eagerly, pulling at his blindfold. "Minerva? Where is she? Where? Where?"

Dot sighed. "Go on, doll."

Then, out of the crowd and looking as slender, pretty and irresistible as ever, came strutting out of the crowd. She spoke to Dot in her trademark voice that exuded temptation with every syllable.

"Where do I go?"

Eyelids half-closed, Dot jerked a thumb irritably towards the security camera. "There. Knock 'em dead, gal. Literally, if possible."

Minerva obeyed. Walking suggestively up to the camera, she began twisting and swaying and batting her eyelids. "Hey there, Botty-boy..." she smirked into the lens. "You doing OK?"

The effect, once more, was instantaneous. The ground began shaking. All the cast was thrown to the ground (Yakko still catcalling) as a large siren erupted way above them. Red light drenched the room as a mechanical, robotized yet slightly out-of-breath voice crackled into life.

"WARNING. WARNING. UNNECESSARILY OVERREACTIVE ATTRACTION BOARD OVERLOAD. OVERPOWERING FEMALE PRESENCE DETECTED. CIRCUITS UNABLE TO CONTAIN TENSION. COMMENCE POINTLESS SELF-DESTRUCT IN 20 SECONDS."

Yakko slapped his sister on the back sarcastically (and blindly). "Well done, sis. Good plan."

Then, shouted to the rest of the cast: "Hold on, guys! She's gonna blow!"

Minerva folded her arms. "I most certainly _am not_!"

Yakko grinned, then blew a kiss. "G'night everybody!"

Dot rolled her eyes. "Couldn't resist, could ya? Even on the brink of destruction, ya couldn't resist. _Boys_."

Rita gave an annoyed look at a very confused Minerva. "Not you, sweet-cheeks."

_**BOOM**_.

Yakko's vulgar quipping was cut short as something deep inside the Brain Bot gave out. All of a sudden, a huge, irresistible force pulled the cast, screaming, up to the ceiling duct, out of the dome, up the arm of the bot (gathering more dust) and out the top like the speed of a rocket. It was a spectacular sight; the bot slowly returned to the ground and blew up in a mountain of flame and heat, framing the cast in silhouette as they flew through the air less than gracefully. They quickly began their descent towards Earth and landed softly in what felt like mud; a fitting end to their temporary imprisonment. Minerva was the first to talk, grinning and brushing her hair out of her face.

"It's not pretty being me."

Slappy sat up in the mud, spitting out dirt.

"Well, that was underwhelming. I was expectin' at least two more chapters in there, especially with all this set-up and that. Now what?"

Pesto looked solemnly in the direction of the now-ruined Brain Bot. "Just think... millions of dose things are across the world right now, capturin' Toons and destroyin' people's lives... with a _mouse_ at the head. Bobby's right. We gotta do somethin'."

Bobby spat out mud. "Ah, shut yer beak, Pesto. Forget about it. Ya know I only said dat to cheer Squit up."

Squit grinned. "You did?"

Pesto scowled. "Yeah, he did. Which reminds me: I owe you one o' _dese_!"

He launched into Squit, bringing them into a cloud of fighting. Bobby was too fed up to laugh at their plight.

Wakko cheered for Dot. "Well done, sis! I guess we were just lucky that robot was a guy, huh?"

Yakko grinned once more, indicating an impending innuendo: "Who's to say it was a guy?"

Wakko screwed up his nose. "Ew. Let's not go there."

Dot, however, was looking in the opposite direction to the rest of the cast at the landscape spreading before them that everyone else had as of yet not seen. "Uh... guys? You might want to take a look at this..."

Yakko pulled at his blindfold; he was the only character still to have it on after the blast. "I can't."

Dot gulped. "I don't think we're in Burbank anymore."

Slappy, however, turned around casually; her eyes widened when she saw where they were - she even looked worried. Skippy patted her hand; this wasn't like her.

"Aunt Slappy, are you OK?"

"No, Skippy. I'm not. We're not."

She took off her hat for what seemed like the first time in her life.

"I know this place... we are in a heap of trouble."


End file.
